NBC Olympics Coverage Sucks, So Why is Twitter Defending Them and Censoring Free Speech

Culture

Guy Adams, who works as a writer for British newspaper The Independent from Los Angeles, California, got his Twitter account suspended after tweeting his criticism of NBC’s coverage of the Olympic Games 2012 in London.

Adams, who mainly has criticized the network's delayed coverage, took to Twitter to express the frustration shared by million of American viewers who have seen the Games’ action spoiled by timely online reports -- as NBC relays on taped developments. 

The journalist, who among other online antics told NBC host Matt Lauer "to shut up" and called Gary Zenkel -- the president of NBC Olympics -- the "moronic exec behind the time delay" while suggesting he should be fired, tested the seemingly thin skin of both NBC and Twitter which have partnered around the 2012 Olympic effort. 

And though Twitter claims Adams crossed the line by tweeting out Zenkel's corporate email address and encouraging his followers to contact the executive directly, this information is available and easily identifiable through NBC’s website. As a result, Twitter suspended Adams' account who – after having filed yet another article critical of NBC's coverage, checked his Twitter account only to find it had been suspended – leaving in its place the message, “Your Twitter account has been suspended for posting an individual's private information such as private email address.