Twitter Removing Embeds of Deleted Tweets May Threaten Journalism

After its much-publicized edit button, Twitter silently implemented an update that erases embedded tweets whenever the original tweet is deleted by the user. This will result in journalism websites having incomprehensible stories because the embedded tweets used for its narrative will then just be blank.

The change was not accompanied by a press release or just even a tweet from Twitter's representative, but the online world took notice and had some adverse reactions. Will journalism be threatened by this change? Or will this little problem be solved by just screenshotting a tweet?

Twitter's Deleted Tweets Wipes Out All Embedded Copies From the Internet

Previously, deleting a tweet will not have an effect on the visuals of its embedded version. But with Twitter's new policy on deleted tweets, the supposedly embedded tweet will now just show a blank white box with, of course, only Twitter's logo remaining.

As of right now, there may be a great number of articles having gaps in their stories because some tweets are automatically deleted after some period of time or it's just that some high-profile Twitter users often delete regrettable tweets. Former President Trump may be a good example.

Open Web Advocate Kevin Marks was the first to expose the seemingly subtle but significant change. He should not be confused with the footballer Kevin Marks Jr. The software developer Marks is one of the most influential Britons in the tech world.

He posted a comprehensive discussion of the change in his blog post.

Basically, an online article that incorporates embedded deleted tweets will now look like this:

Shortly after Mark's call out, Twitter exec Eleanor Harding responded.

The purpose for the change does seem reasonable. After all, maybe people should have the power to determine if they want the world to still see their tweets. This may be better known as the "right to be forgotten." However, from a journalist's perspective, it may do more harm than good.

"This is tampering with the public record. Any news article that cited a tweet from the former president," said Marks.

Journalists' Reactions on the Deleted Embedded Tweets

Marks was not the only one who had a problem with Twitter's update.

Android Police's senior editor Ryne Hager had an alarming reaction to the change. He raised the issue of ethics such that the new policy effectively becomes a medium for revising history or erasing public records.

Hager also pointed out that Twitter's change basically allows Twitter to become an unauthorized editor of journalistic pieces all over the internet.

"Although the content included in a Tweet remains on the page at a code level, Twitter is now modifying sites like ours to actively remove that content. Few journalists would consent to allow a company to edit their work, nor should Twitter impose that as a requirement for using its services," said Hager.

In seemingly an act of disapproval of the unwelcome change, Android Police will not be embedding tweets anymore. Instead, their articles will just contain screenshots of tweets moving forward.

Simon Willison, the creator of Datasette, had a more direct reaction to Twitter's change.

The ripple effect of Twitter's new policy on online journalism remains to be seen. For now, there is a general sense of annoyance among journalists to say the least.