Online Mystery: Fox News Has Stopped Tweeting

A weekend head-scratcher comes courtesy of Raw Story, which reports on an online media mystery. It appears that since shortly after 2pm on Thursday, Fox News hasn't tweeted anything on its official Twitter account (the same for its Fox News Research arm), and the internet is trying to figure out why. Mediaite notes that this dearth of activity is "incredibly unusual, if not unprecedented," considering the network usually blasts out loads of tweets every day. Online snarkers are posting their own conspiracy theories, including that "maybe the caravan got them" or that it's a "temporary" blackout while the network "[transitions] to Trump News."

There are rumors floating around that the dormancy is linked to a recent protest at Fox host Tucker Carlson's home. An anonymous Fox source tells Mediaite the Twitter shutdown was "a conscious decision in light of what was done to Tucker," while a "Fox News employee" tells Scott Gustin of Tribune Media that it's tied to how Twitter has handled posts that doxxed Carlson, revealing his address. That source tells Gustin the decision to shutter Fox's Twitter account for now came from "the highest level" of the company and that "Fox will remain silent until Twitter removes the tweets and apologizes for mishandling the situation." There's been no official public word from Fox itself. (This is why there's snark regarding Fox News and the caravan.)