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Independent journalist Matt Taibbi announced Friday he's dumping Twitter after it began implementing major restrictions on users sharing content from the popular newsletter platform Substack.
Taibbi, who has made major headlines in recent months with his reporting on the Twitter Files, attempted to get to the bottom of the jarring changes that Twitter users have noticed this week pertaining to the inability to like or retweet links to Substack articles.
"Of all things: I learned earlier today that Substack links were being blocked on this platform. When I asked why, I was told it’s a dispute over the new Substack Notes platform," Taibbi tweeted Friday.
He continued. "Since sharing links to my articles is a primary reason I come to this platform, I was alarmed and asked what was going on. I was given the option of posting articles on Twitter instead. I’m obviously staying at Substack, and will be moving to Substack Notes next week."
Independent journalist Matt Taibbi said he's dumping Twitter after Elon Musk began restricting Substack content on the platform. (Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage)
He went on to tell his Racket News subscribers he would be using Substack's new Twitter-like feature Substack Notes "instead of Twitter."
The decision, he says, will likely "come with a price as far as any future Twitter Files reports are concerned."
"It was absolutely worth it and I’ll always be grateful to those who gave me the chance to work on that story, but man is this a crazy planet," Taibbi wrote, referencing Twitter CEO Elon Musk.
Taibbi clarified to Fox News Digital he wasn't closing his account but that he's "going to have to find another medium." He also confirmed that he spoke with Musk directly about the Substack restrictions.
"If I can’t share article links, it doesn’t work professionally," Taibbi said.
When asked for comment via email, an auto-response from Twitter replied with the poop emoji.
Twitter owner Elon Musk is facing backlash from critics who say he's betraying his free speech principles by restricting Substack content. (Getty Images)
Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie said in a tweet thread, "Twitter started blocking links to Substack. We hope this action was made in error and is only temporary."
"If writers and creators don’t own their relationships with their audiences, they’re not in control. Any platform that benefits from writers’ work but that doesn’t give them control over their relationships will inevitably wonder how to respond to the platforms that do," McKenzie wrote. "While incumbents may take actions to stymie this shift, we’ll be working hard to ensure that writers and creators get only more ownership and control of their futures."
Twitter users have blasted Musk's decision to restrict content on Substack, a newsletter platform that has surged among prominent independent journalists and writers, many of whom left legacy media outlets, including Taibbi, Bari Weiss, Andrew Sullivan and Glenn Greenwald.
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Critics are accusing Musk, who branded himself as a "free speech absolutist" ahead of his takeover of Twitter, of betraying his free speech principles as he continues to restrict content on his platform.
In December, Twitter began banning users from promoting their other social media pages like Facebook, Instagram and Mastodon, then quickly dropped the new policy.
Musk previously faced intense backlash for suspending several journalists he accused of violating Twitter policies, a decision he later reversed.
The billionaire Twitter owner also ruffled feathers in recent weeks for removing The New York Times' verified checkmark and slapping NPR with a "US state-affiliated media" label.
Tesla and SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition in Washington, Monday, March 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
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It is unclear whether there will be any more reporting of the Twitter Files, which Taibbi spearheaded among several other writers, many of whom have their own Substack newsletters.
The Twitter Files put a spotlight on the tech giant's internal archives, revealing what led to its decision to suppress the Hunter Biden laptop story, the banning of former President Trump and efforts by the federal government to moderate Twitter's content.
Weiss, who authored multiple installments of the Twitter Files, had a similar falling out with Musk after she criticized his decision to suspend the account of journalists, which sparked a viral spat between the two. She suggested at the time her access to the Twitter Files was restricted as a result.
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