The hypocrisy of Twitter's political ad ban: suppress environmental groups, promote Big Oil

Ahead of the 2020 presidential race, Twitter decided to preemptively ban political ads on the platform. [View in browser]( [Image]( February 4, 2021 Ahead of the 2020 presidential race, Twitter decided to preemptively ban political ads on the platform. That ban is still in place, keeping your feed free of promoted tweets from both your local member of Congress and all kinds of weird disinformation. But Twitter's blanket ban — and those of other social media giants — has some holes in it, Emily Atkin writes. For one, it decided that ads from fossil fuel companies that tout natural gas as key to a "cleaner world" are totally fine and apolitical. "The misleading nature of the ads wasn't what caught my eye," Atkin writes. "It was that Twitter allowed the oil industry to pay to spread misleading climate-related political propaganda while prohibiting anyone from doing the same to call out that propaganda." That's right. Environmental groups' "tweets would be considered prohibited 'political content." Does that seem fair? Read the full analysis at the top of your Thursday [MSNBC Daily.]( UNDERSTANDING THE NEWS [Alternate text] Top perspectives and analysis from our MSNBC columnists [Alternate text] Alicia Menendez [Arizona Republicans are tripling down on Trumpism's anti-immigrant extremism]( Fair immigration reform robs MAGA Republicans of the core fear they peddle: the threat of the other. [Alternate text] Tiffany C. Li [There's a darker side to Redditors' GameStop tactics]( The connectivity of the internet empowers small players to take on powerful institutions. But that doesn’t fix the systemic inequalities of our systems. Steve Benen [On Greene's fate, GOP leaders eye an offer Dems can easily refuse]( It's amazing just how poorly House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is managing his party's Marjorie Taylor Greene fiasco. WATCH NOW [Alternate text] [The Beat With Ari]( ['This is America': Capitol rioter plans vacation in Mexico while Black protesters are arrested]( [The Reidout]( [With power-sharing agreement locked, Warnock urges Dems to focus on Covid aid]( [All In]( [Rep. Omar: GOP bid to tie me to Marjorie Taylor Greene is a 'desperate smear']( [Stephanie Ruhle]( [Bloomberg thinks pharmacies should lead vaccine charge: 'Capitalism really does work']( LISTEN NOW [Alternate text] [Into America](Harlem On My Mind This Black History Month, Into America presents a four-part series that follows the lives of Black creators during the Harlem Renaissance. In Part 1, Trymaine explores the story of Jacob Lawrence, a painter known for his depictions of the African-American experience, in conversation with art historian Dr. Leslie King-Hammond and artist Barbara Earl Thomas. [A graphic shows a phone open to a streaming service playing The Oath.]( [The Oath]( Robert Mueller Chuck talks with former FBI Director Robert Mueller for the second half of his two-part interview. Mueller shares the story of his tenure at the FBI and his experience leading the Bureau following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. MORE ON MSNBC [Alternate text] Brian Williams and Nicolle Wallace host MSNBC’s special coverage of the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump in the Senate, featuring live reports from outside the Capitol and commentary from our expert panel of lawyers, political insiders and historians. Live coverage begins Tuesday at 9 a.m. Eastern. All month, NBC BLK is profiling Black thinkers, doctors, activists and entertainers, who are not just making history, they’re disrupting the course of history with their work. Follow their stories at [NBCNews.com/NBCBLK](. Tell us what you think. [Drop us an e-mail.](mailto:msnbc.digital.editors@nbcuni.com?subject=MSNBC Daily) Were you forwarded this email from a friend? [Subscribe to the MSNBC Daily here](. Follow MSNBC [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( [LinkedIn]( Check out the MSNBC channel on Apple News Download the NBC News Mobile App and watch MSNBC [Listen live to MSNBC on TuneIn]( [Image] [Image] [Privacy]( [Unsubscribe](listvar=sub_daily)