Yesterday, the Trump administration instituted a media blackout at various science agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and National Parks. Essentially, they're no longer allowed to post anything regarding national policy decisions on social media.
The EPA was also subject to an immediate freeze on grants, leading many to believe that the Trump administration doesn't want word of what's happening within these organizations to get out. While others believe that it's an attempt to silence their views on climate change. President Donald Trump disagrees with 99.99% of scientists and instead believes that global warming is a myth invented by the Chinese.
But that hasn't stopped someone at the Badlands National Park in South Dakota from defying the gag order and tweeting out a series of facts about climate change.
Godspeed, Badlands National Park social media manager. May thousands more follow your example. pic.twitter.com/3YGzZ9hqJw
— Kelsey D. Atherton (@AthertonKD) January 24, 2017
The tweets continued for several hours before they were deleted, but Twitter users were quick to grab screenshots.
A National Parks official told BuzzFeed News that the tweets were posted by a former employee, and park officials had deleted them because the account had been "compromised."
“Several tweets posted on the Badlands National Park’s Twitter account today were posted by a former employee who was not currently authorized to use the park’s account. The park was not told to remove the tweets but chose to do so when they realized that their account had been compromised.”
“At this time, National Park Service social media managers are encouraged to continue the use of Twitter to post information relating to public safety and park information, with the exception of content related to national policy issues.”
Quartz reported that the tweets had been allowed to stay up for so long because other staff, including the park's superintendent, had been busy responding to a blizzard.
Since the tweets were taken down, the Twitter account has returned to only tweeting photos of the park.
CAPTION THIS! pic.twitter.com/CA1MyF4y6Z
— Badlands Nat'l Park (@BadlandsNPS) January 24, 2017
"Study #nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” -Frank Lloyd Wright #findyourpark pic.twitter.com/glByqcY2qz
— Badlands Nat'l Park (@BadlandsNPS) January 24, 2017
While Twitter users have been demanding more climate change facts.
@BadlandsNPS Don't forget this one! pic.twitter.com/f1mt1LJeuY
— Derek Bauman (@derekbauman) January 24, 2017
@BadlandsNPS --- go go go!! don't back down! Don't give up!!
— Sarah Gertrude Shap (@GertShap) January 25, 2017
@BadlandsNPS Youre doing God's work. Dont obey that Authoritarian gag order.
— W (@DooSwazzle) January 24, 2017
@BadlandsNPS they removed the tweets?!?! ARE U KIDDING ME
— J Hall (@JennHallMusic) January 24, 2017
Last week, the official National Park Service Twitter account retweeted a photo of Donald Trump's inauguration turnout compared to Barack Obama's in 2009. That was also quickly taken down.
Looks like the Trump administration hasn't taken control of the @NatlParkService Twitter feed just yet. pic.twitter.com/dCKGHoW0cU
— Binyamin Appelbaum (@BCAppelbaum) January 20, 2017
from Distractify http://distractify.com/news/2017/01/25/national-park-defies-twitter-gag-order
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