I grew up on “Nightline with Ted Koppel,” “60 Minutes” with Dan Reasonably and Andy Rooney, and “Meet the Press” with Tim Russert. By the point I used to be in center college, I used to be quizzed by my mom on information articles from our every 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. Nonetheless, now I get my information from extra sources than I may listing – not simply because there are extra choices accessible to me, however as a result of I hardly ever belief something I learn or hear.
We had been far too trusting again within the day, and due to it, the character of journalism has develop into much less about reality and extra about energy. However one man is trying to avoid wasting journalism for humanity – Elon Musk.
It’s media’s management of what to put in writing about within the first place that’s much more insidious than having some info incorrect in an article
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 3, 2023
The Reality 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 sometimes whereas he’s on the bathroom tweeting away his musings on cryptocurrency, killer memes, and free speech. (Most likely.)
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 might take their toys and stomp off the Twitter playground – in a transfer of sheer hilarity, Musk modified their label to “government-funded.” You possibly can hear the exasperated gasps from these three epically boring and long-time irrelevant media organizations.
In fact, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out Musk’s latest transfer taking away the Grey Girl’s blue test mark as a result of the New York Instances wouldn’t pony up the month-to-month payment.
After the test mark was eliminated, Should tweeted:
“the actual tragedy of @NYTimes is that their propaganda isn’t even fascinating.”
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.
Identical 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?
What’s The Level
At a convention earlier this yr, Musk dropped this gem of a reality 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 objective in thoughts.
On the identical convention, Elon explained his final plan for Twitter:
“We would like it to be… basically the place you go to be taught what’s occurring and get the actual story.”
RELATED: Elon Musk is Really Getting Under the Fake News’ Skin. Good.
However wait a minute Elon, isn’t Twitter already the place we go to get the actual story?
According to 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 occurring at present 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 suppose he had turned it right into a dumpster hearth as a result of as an alternative of stifling voices that go in opposition to the mainstream, he’s allowed them to coexist in the identical house as the large boys. However the reality isn’t going to return from the institution “journos,” so who will assist Elon rely on to get out “the actual 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 Every day Information (@TitterDaily) April 18, 2023
The Little Guys
So if not your normal information retailers, who’s Elon counting on to be the bastions of reality in a sea of, as he would most likely describe it… diarrhea? The women and men on the market who’ve realized to carry you the information with only a fancy smartphone, clip-on mic, and a hoop mild – the citizen journalist.
However his dream doesn’t come straightforward, as he explained:
“As Twitter pursues the objective of elevating citizen journalism, media elite will strive every little thing to cease that from occurring.”
RELATED: Musk’s Revenge: Twitter Slaps NPR With ‘State-Affiliated Media’ Label
What may Elon imply? Absolutely the large boys wouldn’t attempt to destroy the beast that feeds their ego with hearts and retweets.
In reality, they might, 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 name 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 mild of high quality investigative journalism?
Elon Musk on Twitter lowering its workers dimension by 80% since his takeover: “If you happen to’re not attempting 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 concern the beast that has develop into “journalism” is simply too huge and ugly for him to defeat.
Even he admitted to an extent that there’s a restrict to his capacity:
“Mainstream media will nonetheless thrive, however elevated competitors from residents will trigger them to be extra correct, as their oligopoly on info is disrupted.”
Nonetheless, can citizen journalists be of any match to a Goliath that has develop into media? In spite of everything, it was Musk himself, with the assistance of established journalists, who disclosed that Twitter had develop into 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 got a visit 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 varied authorities companies successfully had full entry to every little thing that was occurring at Twitter blew my thoughts.”
Is Elon destroying journalism? I hope so, given the monster it has develop into.
Is he the final hope for reality? Solely time will inform, however both method, I’ve little question Mr. Musk will probably be solidified into the historical past books as a villain and hero – as all of the greats typically develop into.
I discover it extra useful to learn/observe particular person journalists, relatively than publications.
Any given publication goes to have big selection of views, albeit overwhelming majority of tales about any topic are unfavorable, maybe reflecting innate human biases.
Citizen journalism FTW!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 27, 2021
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