ISIS’s beheading of journalist James Foley hit Twitter in a propaganda video that was quickly shared along with graphic still photos of the atrocity. Twitter soon decided to suspend the accounts of those sharing the images and video.

Twitter Bans Pictures Of James Foley's Death

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo tweeted that the social media site would be suspending the accounts spreading the images early Wednesday morning.

In addition to suspending the accounts of ISIS sympathizers attempting to spread the propaganda, Twitter also began suspending accounts of journalists, including Radio Sawa’s Washington correspondent Zaid Benjamin.

Twitter declined, however, to suspend the accounts of the New York Post and the New York Daily News – both of which promoted their front pages that featured graphic images of Foley's execution on the site. "The Post's tweet contains a warning for some users, depending on their media settings," Twitter said in a statement to Business Insider, explaining its decision. Some, like Neetal Zimmerman, were disappointed that Twitter hadn't punished the New York papers.

While many have lauded Twitter's decision to ban and suspend the accounts of those sharing the graphic images, others believe that it's important for the atrocity to be shared. On the one hand, people like Twitter user @LibyaLiberty, who called for the "ISIS media blackout," believe that sharing the video is playing into the hands of the terrorists. On the other hand, editor Noah Rothman represents those that believe the horror of the group needs to be shown.

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