• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, May 3, 2022

With Twitter poised to host its annual NewFronts pitch to advertisers Wednesday, the presentation is drawing extra attention from ad executives, as well as a coalition of advocacy groups, in the wake of Elon Musk's acquisition of the social media platform.

While speculation is rampant about whether Musk will make an appearance and/or a statement about his intentions for Twitter, the coalition of 26 organizations spearheaded by media industry watchdog Media Matters for America, is calling on Musk to pledge to uphold "three nonnegotiable standards of community trust and safety," or risk a call to advertisers to pull their spending from the platform:

1. Keep accounts, including those of public figures and politicians, that were removed for egregious violations of Twitter rules – such as harassment, violence, and hateful conduct – off the platform and continue to enforce the civic integrity policy along with the hateful conduct policy.

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   Beyond algorithmic transparency, ensure algorithmic accountability, preserve people’s privacy, and commit to depolarizing the algorithm. 

3. Continue Twitter’s commitment to transparency and researcher access. 

“Your brand risks association with a platform amplifying hate, extremism, health misinformation, and conspiracy theorists," the coalition asserts in a a letter sent to top advertisers on the eve of Twitter's presentation. "Under Musk’s management, Twitter risks becoming a cesspool of misinformation, with your brand attached, polluting our information ecosystem in a time when trust in institutions and news media is already at an all-time low.  Your ad dollars can either fund Musk’s vanity project or hold him to account.”

Twitter's NewFronts presentation is scheduled for 7:30 (EDT) Wednesday.