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Newsweek Compares Trump Blocking People on Twitter to Iran's Internet Censorship

Protesters wave flags as they gather outside the Iranian Embassy in central London in support of national demonstrations in Iran against the existing regime. / Getty Images
January 2, 2018

Newsweek ran a story Tuesday suggesting that President Donald Trump's habit of blocking people on Twitter is comparable to the blackout of entire sites instituted by Iran earlier this week.

The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the Trump administration has upped diplomatic pressure on Iran, demanding the regime stop blocking access to social media sites like Twitter and Instagram that were being used by protesters to organize demonstrations.

"They are legitimate avenues for communication," Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein said. "People in Iran should be able to access those sites."

But Newsweek cast the demand as hypocritical, complaining that "Trump, Who Blocks Americans on Twitter, Tells Iran to Unblock Social Media During Protests."

"Some of President Donald Trump's critics were quick to point out that he has blocked dozens of people from his personal Twitter account," the story notes, without actually naming any such critics. Presumably, the author was alluding to a tweet by the New York Times' Maggie Haberman.

Newsweek notes that an ongoing lawsuit alleges that Trump's Twitter blocks represent a First Amendment violation that unfairly discriminates based on viewpoint.

Published under: Donald Trump , Iran , Media