230 protections protect companies who make editorial decisions from being treated as speakers of the remaining content they do allow on their platforms. It's entire purpose is to sanction and protect exactly what actions happened here. It's design is to have your cake and eat it too.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/230

In short: (C)(1) - publishers are not speakers (C)(2) - publishers can remove content at their discretion.

How did the law come to be understood to do the exact opposite of what it does? There is also no requirement for them to be transparent or fair.