First Amendment advocates, threats of sanctions from European regulators, and questions about the social media platform's future as a gathering place for news and ideas were some of the things that sparked an uproar on Friday.
The move underscored the role of a simpler, more enduring element of American life: the press baron.
Thank you, Citizen Musk.
The influence of mass media production has been controlled by Mr. Musk. Journalists were lured by the promotion of itself as a virtual town square by the social networking site. Mr. Musk is flexing his ownership muscle in ways that appear to stamp out accounts that personally dislike him.
The journalists were suspended after Mr. Musk accused them of violating personal privacy. The account that tracked the location of Mr. Musk's plane was shut down by the social media company.
Mr. Musk told reporters that he was not special because he was a journalist. He said that if you publish intrusive personal information, you get suspended.
It was not clear how the journalists had broken the rules. Some of the reporters wrote about the removal of ElonJet and other accounts that tracked private planes, while others had previously written critical stories about Mr. Musk. Linette Lopez, a reporter who has published investigations into another company controlled by Mr. Musk, had her account suspended by the social media site.
Last month, Mr. Musk said that ElonJet would be allowed to remain on the social media platform. He said the promise showed his commitment to free speech, a common refrain for Mr. Musk, who has amassed millions of online fans in part by presenting himself as a First Amendment absolutist.
Reporters are free to publish their work on their own companies' platforms and through other social media outlets as long as they don't use private companies.
Journalists flock to share their reporting, develop relationships with sources, and debate issues of the day, thanks to the unique role that social media has in the news and information industry. Outside of established organizations, writers have been able to break into the political and cultural conversations.
In the wake of Mr. Musk's suspension, media outlets said that the social network had acted in ways that could be used to intimidate journalists. The president of the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Friday that this would be a violation of journalists' right to report the news without fear of reprisal. The New York Times said the moves were questionable.
Lawmakers in the European Union were not happy with the situation. A vice president of the European Commission said that the move was in violation of the Digital Services Act and the Media Freedom Act. Red lines are visible. She said on Friday that sanctions would be forthcoming.
Mr. Musk didn't accept those criticisms. He ridiculed journalists for complaining about the actions taken by the previous owners of the site.
It was inspiring to see the newfound love of freedom of speech by the press.
Mr. Musk has supporters in the Silicon Valley C-suites, where they are watching him with excitement and not disdain. Tech leaders tired of giving power to internal and external detractors may benefit from Mr. Musk's clash with his critics.
In this week's drama, there was a discussion about the role of social media platforms in deciding what is posted online. Mr. Musk, who did not respond to a request for comment, is a happy warrior in that debate, and it motivated his release this month of the so-calledTwitter Files, a trove of internal documents that he said shed light on the past content moderation decisions.
Bari Weiss, one of the journalists that Mr. Musk gave the documents to, said on Friday that she was troubled by the suspension of reporters' accounts.
Ms. Weiss, a former opinion writer and editor at The Times, believes that the new regime has the same problems as the old one. I don't like it in either case. The journalists who were reporting on a story of public importance should be allowed to return.
Mr Musk accused Ms. Weiss of trying to show that she was good in the eyes of the media elite.
It wasn't clear if Mr. Musk would reverse course and restore the accounts of the journalists. More than half of Mr. Musk's 121 million followers had voted by Friday evening. The counting was going to go on for a long time.
This week's developments left some reporters wondering if the days of the media's preferred social platform are numbered.
Mr. Musk was a highly active participant in the discussion, which was played out on the social networking site. In a series of posts on Friday, Mr. Musk cracked jokes, defended his positions, and neededled his critics. He highlighted a user who claimed that there was more attention, press and power than ever, and replied with a bull's-eye.
Citizen Musk seemed to be having fun.
Kate Conger reported.
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