Hours after Twitter suspended The Chalkboard Review’s account it purged the individual accounts of multiple publication employees.
Twitter abruptly suspended the account of the Chalkboard Review, a heterodox, education-focused publication on Thursday morning, while also targeting the personal accounts of several staff members, locking out a couple and outright suspending the account of one.
That process continued well into Thursday evening, when Jocelyn Gunter, the site’s scheduling editor, and Quinn Weimer, its social media director, also had their accounts suspended without warning.
The wave of sudden suspensions follow an October letter directed to social media companies by Becky Pringle, the president of the National Education Association, the country’s largest teachers’ union.
According to Pringle, “the alarming growth of a small but violent group of radicalized adults who falsely believe that graduate level courses about racism are being taught in K-12 public schools” represented a threat to “the safety of our children, educators, and families.” Pringle went on to urge remedial action on the part of Twitter and other social media companies.
The site’s founders, Fordham Institute senior fellow Daniel Buck and Tony Kinnett, were shocked by Gunter’s suspension, with the latter issuing a statement to National Review, saying he was “dumbfounded,” by the decision.
“She is a respected and thoughtful school counselor that uses her Twitter to talk about parenting stories and her faith — hardly an offending presence,” added Buck.
Twitter responded to a request for comment from the Federalist, claiming that “the accounts you referenced were permanently suspended for violating the Twitter Rules on ban evasion,” but neither the Chalkboard Review, nor its suspended employees had been warned, much less previously suspended.
Gunter told National Review that Twitter did not explain her permanent suspension, and responded to an appeal by denying it and instructing her not to file another challenge. She noted that “I’ve never tweeted anything that has raised a flag to Twitter,” prior to Thursday.
Gunter, Weimer, and Samuel Bravo, the other employee suspended on Thursday, all had access to the suspended Chalkboard Review account, but so did Buck and Kinnett, who have not been suspended.
“It feels very coordinated with Chalkboard Review because I am affiliated with them,” said Gunter.
“I just miss my Twitter people… I have a whole community there and it’s very strange to be taken down,” she continued.
“Hopefully this will all get sorted out. I’m just trying to be patient.”