I grew up on “Nightline with Ted Koppel,” “60 Minutes” with Dan Quite and Andy Rooney, and “Meet the Press” with Tim Russert. By the point I used to be in center faculty, I used to be quizzed by my mom on information articles from our day by day papers, The Minneapolis Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
As you’ll be able to inform, I used to be raised in a home dominated by information and was bred to be a present occasions nerd. Nevertheless, now I get my information from extra sources than I may record – not simply because there are extra choices out there to me, however as a result of I hardly ever belief something I learn or hear.
We have been far too trusting again within the day, and due to it, the character of journalism has turn out to be much less about fact and extra about energy. However one man is making an attempt to avoid wasting journalism for humanity – Elon Musk.
It’s media’s management of what to write down about within the first place that’s much more insidious than having some information flawed in an article
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 3, 2023
The Fact Hurts
Elon Musk might be any company lawyer’s nightmare. In contrast to different CEOs, Elon lets his ideas come out willy-nilly, unfiltered, and infrequently whereas he’s on the bathroom tweeting away his musings on cryptocurrency, killer memes, and free speech. (In all probability.)
Since his takeover of Twitter, he’s been grinding the gears of “journalists” from close to and much, a lot to my pleasure and leisure. Not too long ago he incensed the powers that be when he slapped the “state-affiliated” label on NPR, PBS, and the BBC, placing them in the identical group as Russian and Chinese language media on Twitter.
When the three threw a match, declaring they’d take their toys and stomp off the Twitter playground – in a transfer of sheer hilarity, Musk modified their label to “government-funded.” You may hear the exasperated gasps from these three epically boring and long-time irrelevant media organizations.
After all, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out Musk’s latest transfer taking away the Grey Girl’s blue verify mark as a result of the New York Occasions wouldn’t pony up the month-to-month price.
After the verify mark was eliminated, Should tweeted:
“the true tragedy of @NYTimes is that their propaganda isn’t even attention-grabbing.”
Additionally, their feed is the Twitter equal of diarrhea. It’s unreadable.
They might have much more actual followers in the event that they solely posted their prime articles.
Similar applies to all publications.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 2, 2023
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Sick and correct burn, Musk. So what’s Elon’s beef with mainstream media anyway?
RELATED: Elon Musk Tells Tucker Carlson the US Authorities Had ‘Full Entry’ to People’ Twitter Accounts, Personal Messages
What’s The Level
At a convention earlier this yr, Musk dropped this gem of a fact bomb:
“I’m undecided what the legacy media does… at this level.”
You and me each, brother. However like something that comes out of Musk’s mouth, there’s a purpose in thoughts.
On the similar convention, Elon defined his final plan for Twitter:
“We wish it to be… essentially the place you go to study what’s happening and get the true story.”
RELATED: Elon Musk is Actually Getting Below the Pretend Information’ Pores and skin. Good.
However wait a minute Elon, isn’t Twitter already the place we go to get the true story?
In keeping with Deputy Director of NYU Stern’s Heart for Enterprise and Human Rights Paul Barrett, earlier than Elon acquired the blue chicken, Twitter was:
“plugged into what’s happening immediately within the information” and what a “sure set of influential persons are saying in regards to the information”
Now that Elon has taken over, you’d assume he had turned it right into a dumpster fireplace as a result of as a substitute of stifling voices that go in opposition to the mainstream, he’s allowed them to coexist in the identical house as the massive boys. However the fact isn’t going to come back from the institution “journos,” so who will assist Elon rely on to get out “the true story”?
NEWS: Elon Musk states that conventional media covers Twitter negatively as a result of they compete for a similar advert {dollars}. pic.twitter.com/hyWazb9EKA
— T(w)itter Each day Information (@TitterDaily) April 18, 2023
The Little Guys
So if not your customary information shops, who’s Elon counting on to be the bastions of fact in a sea of, as he would most likely describe it… diarrhea? The women and men on the market who’ve realized to convey you the information with only a fancy smartphone, clip-on mic, and a hoop gentle – the citizen journalist.
However his dream doesn’t come straightforward, as he defined:
“As Twitter pursues the purpose of elevating citizen journalism, media elite will attempt every little thing to cease that from taking place.”
RELATED: Musk’s Revenge: Twitter Slaps NPR With ‘State-Affiliated Media’ Label
What may Elon imply? Absolutely the massive boys wouldn’t attempt to destroy the beast that feeds their ego with hearts and retweets.
The truth is, they’d, to the extent of spouting any speaking level they’re fed to smear Elon Musk and his new Twitter world. Not too long ago Elon expertly annihilated BBC’s James Clayton, who, after claiming hate speech is on the rise on Twitter, couldn’t identify one occasion of hate speech he’s personally witnessed.
How embarrassing to primarily get referred to as out by a nerd in a t-shirt for simply being a parrot of propaganda. So will Elon be victorious in cleansing up the filth of pretend information and ushering within the gentle of high quality investigative journalism?
Elon Musk on Twitter decreasing its workers dimension by 80% since his takeover: “When you’re not making an attempt to run some glorified activist group and also you don’t care that a lot about censorship, then you’ll be able to actually let go of lots of people it seems.” pic.twitter.com/kdPpOtahb8
— ALX ???????? (@alx) April 18, 2023
One For The Books
As a lot as I’m rooting for Elon, I worry the beast that has turn out to be “journalism” is simply too large and ugly for him to defeat.
Even he admitted to an extent that there’s a restrict to his skill:
“Mainstream media will nonetheless thrive, however elevated competitors from residents will trigger them to be extra correct, as their oligopoly on info is disrupted.”
Nevertheless, can citizen journalists be of any match to a Goliath that has turn out to be media? In any case, it was Musk himself, with the assistance of established journalists, who disclosed that Twitter had turn out to be a puppet of the federal authorities, a playground of present and former CIA and FBI alum.
And what got here of that disclosure? Journalist Matt Taibbi obtained a go to from the IRS on the identical day he testified earlier than the Choose Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Authorities.
How sinfully ironic. This week on Tucker Carlson, Elon revealed:
“The diploma to which numerous authorities businesses successfully had full entry to every little thing that was happening at Twitter blew my thoughts.”
Is Elon destroying journalism? I hope so, given the monster it has turn out to be.
Is he the final hope for fact? Solely time will inform, however both manner, I’ve little question Mr. Musk shall be solidified into the historical past books as a villain and hero – as all of the greats usually turn out to be.
I discover it extra useful to learn/observe particular person journalists, quite than publications.
Any given publication goes to have wide selection of views, albeit overwhelming majority of tales about any topic are damaging, maybe reflecting innate human biases.
Citizen journalism FTW!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 27, 2021
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