Skip to main content

Twitter kicks troll Charles Johnson to the curb for threatening an activist

Months after Twitter first announced its plan to crack down on trolls and make the social media platform a safer environment for all, it has taken one large step towards making good on its promises. On Sunday, Charles Johnson, Twitter troll extraordinaire, was banned from the site, after he advocated for the “taking out” of DeRay McKesson, a well-known civil rights and social justice activist.

Not only was his main Twitter account, @ChuckCJohnson suspended, but accounts created after the initial suspension, including @citizentrolling and @freechucknow, have also been banned. Johnson and his lawyers have threatened legal action, but for now, we can all breathe a sigh of collective relief.

Recommended Videos

This is at least the fourth time that Johnson and his bigoted, racist, sexist commentary has landed him in hot water with Twitter, but this latest incident may finally be the straw that breaks the too-strong camel’s back. McKesson responded to Johnson’s threat on Twitter, writing, “So, I woke up to this. Hate is organized in America. & yes, I take this as a serious threat.” And apparently, Twitter agreed.

However, to Johnson, his consistent online abuse and battery is simply a more non-traditional form of investigative reporting and good journalism. Taking to his blog, GotNews.com, Johnson wrote, “Twitter has a serious problem with investigative journalism that breaks the mold.”

He continued, “Twitter doesn’t seem to have a problem with people using their service to coordinate riots, but they do have a problem with the kind of journalism I do.” If that kind of journalism is muckracking and the general falsification of fact, then Johnson may be right. This is, after all, the man who insists that Obama is gay, that blacks are intellectually subpar when compared to whites, and that homosexuality is to blame for the recent Amtrak derailment.

Of course, just because Twitter is finally taking a seemingly harsher stance against Johnson doesn’t mean that this troll has gone to bed. He’ll be redoubling his efforts on his blog, on Facebook, and on Reddit, where he’s pledged to hold an “Ask Me Anything” session. But friends, if there’s one troll you don’t want to feed, its name is Charles Johnson.

Lulu Chang
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Bluesky finally adds a feature many had been waiting for
A blue sky with clouds.

Bluesky has been making a lot of progress in recent months by simplifying the process to sign up while at the same time rolling out a steady stream of new features.

As part of those continuing efforts, the social media app has just announced that users can now send direct messages (DMs).

Read more
Reddit just achieved something for the first time in its 20-year history
The Reddit logo.

Reddit’s on a roll. The social media platform has just turned a profit for the first time in its 20-year history, and now boasts a record 97.2 million daily active users, marking a year-over-year increase of 47%. A few times during the quarter, the figure topped 100 million, which Reddit CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman said in a letter to shareholders had been a “long-standing milestone” for the site.

The company, which went public in March, announced the news in its third-quarter earnings results on Tuesday.

Read more
Worried about the TikTok ban? This is how it might look on your phone
TikTok splash screen on an Android phone.

The US Supreme Court has decided to uphold a law that would see TikTok banned in the country on January 19. Now, the platform has issued an official statement, confirming that it will indeed shut down unless it gets some emergency relief from the outgoing president.

“Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19,” said the company soon after the court’s verdict.
So, what does going dark mean?
So, far, there is no official statement on what exactly TikTok means by “going dark.” There is a lot of speculation out there on how exactly the app or website will look once TikTok shutters in the US.

Read more