Texas Governor Blocks Reporters He Doesn't Like From Reading His Tweets

from the unclear-on-the-concept dept

Wed, Mar 2nd 2011 10:33am — Mike Masnick

It's true that Twitter has a nifty "block" function, if you really want to block someone who is annoying you or who you don't like from reading your tweets -- and I've certainly seen various celebrities use it to block some of their more annoying "haters." However, if you're a politician, it's probably a bit extreme to block the local media who cover you. However, that's exactly what Texas Governor Rick Perry has done. He's blocked a few Texas political reporters from following his account. This seems particularly short-sighted for two key reasons:

It won't actually stop them from reading his account. The "block" functionality is pretty simplistic. You're really only blocked if you're logged in, so a "blocked" reporter can simply log out and look directly at the account or just get someone else who can follow the feed to pass along, or even retweet the messages. So it doesn't really block the reporters from following Governor Perry.
All it really does is call much more attention to the fact that Governor Perry apparently has a really thin skin around certain reporters -- perhaps not the sort of message he really should be giving out.

In other words, this action does nothing to actually stop those reporters from reading his feed, but plenty to damage the public perception of Governor Perry. It's difficult to see how there's any benefit at all in that for a politician. And, this wasn't just a decision of some political flack, either. Apparently, Perry's office has said that the only person who has access to Governor Perry's Twitter account is the Governor himself.

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Filed Under: blocking, journalists, rick perry, texas
Companies: twitter

23 Comments

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Joe (profile), 2 Mar 2011 @ 10:36am

I think it's probably more of snub at those reporters rather than a 'real' attempt to block them.
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 2 Mar 2011 @ 10:44am

Three Sir
3. A reporter can just get another twitter account that doesn't identify them as such.

This is just petulance.
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- Chuck Norris' Enemy (deceased) (profile), 2 Mar 2011 @ 10:58am
  
  Re: Three Sir
  They may get charged with "hacking" or computer fraud thanks to overreacting Lori Drew laws.
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Don, 2 Mar 2011 @ 10:49am

What?!?!
This doesn't make sense. Why get a twitter account to begin with? To make it seem like you're running a transparent government.
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Simon, 2 Mar 2011 @ 10:59am

The Canadian MP James Moore also has a habit of blocking people that question his rhetoric...
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steve, 2 Mar 2011 @ 11:06am

could it be he blocked them because of what they are tweeting to him?

that is why i block
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- SmarterThanYall (profile), 3 Mar 2011 @ 6:31am
  
  Re:
  Yeah, but you are not an elected public servant. You have a reasonable expectation to not have some reporter dogging you. Gov. Dimwit, not so much.
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Ccomp5950 (profile), 2 Mar 2011 @ 11:10am

Happy independence day Texas!

...from them thar pinko commie journalists.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Mar 2011 @ 11:23am

wait...So you're attacking the man because he used a feature of his twitter account which he has every right to use for WHATEVER reason he so chooses? Do you block folks from reading your twitter account? This should be filed in the who gives a shit folder.

I would hope you and the media are not relying on twitter postings from politicians to get the real hard facts for your news stories. And so what if he blocks media folks he doesn't like. Just because he's governor doesn't mean he has to leave his personal feelings at the door. At the end of the day, being governor is just like any other JOB..... We all bring our personal feelings and beliefs to work with us everyday. I do it, you do it, cops do it, doctors do it and so do governors, senators, representatives, and presidents. Finally, like you say - you can't really stop anyone from reading your posts if that was the intention as there are so many ways around the block. Personally I think the block was probably more to stop those folks from tweeting him, but whatever the reason it's his account, he can do what he wants with it and like you and I, he'll have to live and die (politically) with whatever backlash, if any, results from those actions.

So - go go go - Governor Good Hair!!!
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- Anonymous Coward, 3 Mar 2011 @ 12:21am
  
  Re:
  My brain would like a refund after reading that drivel.
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- Anonymous Coward, 3 Mar 2011 @ 7:25am
  
  Re:
  Being a governor is NOT
  "just like any other JOB".
  
  That's pretty damn clueless.
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fritz43, 2 Mar 2011 @ 11:26am

Texas Governor
Two things that need to be consigned to the Garbage Can of History, *immediately*:

Texas "politics"

Texas "justice"

Then just start over and this time put grown-ups in charge.
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Texan-reject, 2 Mar 2011 @ 11:31am

Douchebaggery
Gobiner Perry in infamous for having a VERY thin skin, not just for a few reporters, but for ANYONE who questions his decisions or judgement. I live in Texas, so I have some degree of interest in seeing him go away...it would make the place livable again!
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- Theoden, 2 Mar 2011 @ 11:40am
  
  Re: Douchebaggery
  The only problem with that is that the last Texas governor to leave got us into 2 wars and screwed up the economy....
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  - Anonymous Coward, 2 Mar 2011 @ 11:50am
    
    Re: Re: Douchebaggery
    No, Clinton is from Arkansas, that's when the sub prime mortgage market started. As for him waging a war I think that was Waco and blowing up an asprin factory.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 2 Mar 2011 @ 10:40pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: Douchebaggery
      Kosovo, Somolia (I lost a High School friend to wounds suffered there)
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  - Havoc (profile), 2 Mar 2011 @ 12:31pm
    
    Re: Re: Douchebaggery
    Thanks for reminding me of that. Though Gov. Goodhair claims to have no national political aspirations, I pray that he DOES leave and go for a spot on the ticket w/ Ms. Palin, so neither will ever be heard from again. Ever.
    In an aside, I find it remarkable that no matter how many people I ask, no one admits to voting for this man. Just odd.
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    - Theoden, 2 Mar 2011 @ 1:13pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: Douchebaggery
      Even Republicans have some shame. Not much, but it is nice to know that Rick is below the voters' threshold of admitting mistakes they have made.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 2 Mar 2011 @ 10:44pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: Douchebaggery
      Be careful what you wish for. Vice President Perry would be in a good position to run in 2020 after Palin's 2nd term.
      
      BTW, Perry views pissing off the media as a campaign strategy. He went out of his way to NOT get newspaper endorsements. Conservatives distrust the left wing media (sorry for the redundancy), so he is just playing to his base.
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Lisa Westveld (profile), 2 Mar 2011 @ 12:19pm

The man is a genius!
Wow! Job well done. This politician isn't dumb, but real smart! By blocking journalists, he just gained a lot more attention from various people for his tweets! I never heard of him before TechDirt started to write about him and now... WOW! This guy get's a lot of worldwide fame now!
Yeah, it's the Streisant effect, but that's not always bad.
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Proxy318, 2 Mar 2011 @ 12:36pm

RSS
Twitter also supports reading tweets as RSS feeds, and those don't require logins either.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Mar 2011 @ 11:09pm

Countdown to him claiming an overzealous aide blocked them in 3...2...1
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schne, 3 Mar 2011 @ 6:50am

Not damaging
The public's perception of Perry is not damaged at all by this. Some folks who don't like Perry (and/or the right) may care, but the people who elected Perry, and who will re-elect him (again) don't care at all about Twitter.
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