On Thursday, independent journalist Ken Klippenstein faced a temporary ban from X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The ban followed his promotion of a controversial dossier on Senator JD Vance via social media. X, which is now under the ownership of Elon Musk, took action against Klippenstein for allegedly posting sensitive personal data, including Vance's physical addresses and a significant part of his Social Security number.

The Controversial Dossier

The dossier in question is a 271-page document reportedly compiled by the Donald Trump campaign to thoroughly vet Vance, who is now Trump’s running mate. This document became the center of controversy when it was purportedly hacked by the Iranian government and sent to multiple media outlets. Despite this, these outlets refrained from publication, possibly due to concerns over the nature of the contents.

Klippenstein, through his newsletter, contended that his actions did not include sharing private information directly on X but simply linking to publicly available information. He highlighted the complexities when dealing with such content, given Vance's stature as both an elected official and a vice-presidential candidate. Klippenstein expressed concerns about how this situation might signal a broader chilling effect on journalistic freedom and expression.

A Shifting Media Landscape

Klippenstein argued that times have changed since the era of Edward Snowden’s revelations, where media outlets were more willing to publish sensitive material in the public interest. He lamented how the media's role appears to be gradually surrendering to security imperatives, challenging journalists to resist censorship of any form.

The dossier on Vance details potential vulnerabilities, his criticisms of Trump, and various records concerning his criminal, police, voting, and lobbying history. This content would have been a hot topic for media in previous years but now remains largely unpublished due to shifting editorial priorities.

Trump’s Response and Musk's Role

Steven Cheung, a Trump spokesperson, accused media outlets of playing into enemy hands by considering publishing such internal communications, asserting Trump's capability to challenge adversities as he reportedly did during his initial presidency.

Under Musk's ownership, who poses as a “free speech absolutist,” X has seen a series of temporary suspensions of journalists critical of him or his businesses. This current action against Klippenstein adds another layer to Musk's complex relationship with media practitioners and free speech advocates.

This story was originally reported by HuffPost.