As Twitchy reported Wednesday, SpaceX founder and Tesla co-founder Elon Musk went on a tear against the media, railing against their “holier-than-thou hypocrisy.”
Musk even went so far as to suggest starting a website that the public could use to rate journalists and took a Twitter poll that backed him up significantly. A whopping 88 percent said the media credibility rating site (which Musk jokingly said would be called “Pravda”) would be a good idea.
Create a media credibility rating site (that also flags propaganda botnets)
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 23, 2018
If you’re in media & don’t want Pravda to exist, write an article telling your readers to vote against it …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 23, 2018
Come on media, you can do it! Get more people to vote for you. You are literally the media.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2018
Amazingly, the “media is awesome” vote is declining, despite hundreds of articles attacking this very poll?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2018
Why are certain journalists (editors especially) so concerned about the public rating their credibility? All they do all day is rate others, ostensibly on behalf of the same public for which they have contempt.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2018
Musk’s calling out of journalists inspired The New York Times’ “conservative” columnist, Bret Stephens, to accuse Musk of threatening to create a “Soviet-style apparatus” to keep tabs on the media.
He is prone to unhinged Twitter eruptions. He can’t handle criticism. He scolds the news media for its purported dishonesty and threatens to create a Soviet-like apparatus to keep tabs on it. I speak of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. https://t.co/TCaDCs45Vn
— Bret Stephens (@BretStephensNYT) May 26, 2018
He is prone to unhinged Twitter eruptions. He can’t handle criticism. He scolds the news media for its purported dishonesty and threatens to create a Soviet-like apparatus to keep tabs on it. He suckers people to fork over cash in exchange for promises he hasn’t kept. He’s a billionaire whose business flirts with bankruptcy. He’s sold himself as an establishment-crushing iconoclast when he’s really little more than an unusually accomplished B.S. artist. His legions of devotees are fanatics and, let’s face it, a bit stupid.
The whole thing is more a hit piece on Musk and Tesla (deserved or not) than it is a criticism of his media-rating site, but that idea certainly does seem to have struck a nerve.
https://twitter.com/TheCalCoconut/status/1000507825620045824
This jackass NYT "Journalist" manages to insult @realDonaldTrump voters and @elonmusk fans in the same sentence.
Accuses Musk of trying to set up a "Soviet style aperatus".
Calling out Journalists for blatant dishonesty and smears = bad?
Who's the Soviet?#MAGA #ElonMusk #SpaceX https://t.co/ih00Z7419T— ❌⚡Odious Agent Covfefe⚡❌ (@DangerDirk) May 26, 2018
Narrator: Sadly, for @BretStephensNYT @nytimes readers had never been taught to view “Soviet-like” as a negative and therefore embraced @elonmusk and his proposal. @instapundit @KurtSchlichter @benshapiro https://t.co/NVLcYl5lI1
— DeploredByRomney (@AiderNr) May 26, 2018
In no way is a crowd-sourced rating system "Soviet-like"
Welcome to the internet, bucko https://t.co/3i6o9o8jFA— Humanity Network (@HumanityNet) May 26, 2018
Im at a loss for words, seeing the media attacking Elon Musk like this for throwing out the idea to start a news/journalist rating company because of what has been going on in the media. It's honestly pathetic. https://t.co/4q7Y2EksRy
— . (@NateMorgn) May 26, 2018
My, my, are we afraid of a little customer feedback? Poor wittle failing @nytimes. https://t.co/EIqO6ZyNAC
— Couldn't B. Righter (@CouldntBRighter) May 26, 2018
If you don't like to be scolded, stop acting like a little brat. https://t.co/qLBebNnDU6
— LOUIS CK IS FUNNY (@Wittlebaum) May 26, 2018
https://twitter.com/braedenbalch/status/1000465308480626689
https://twitter.com/WickedSmaaaht/status/1000372868641972224
https://twitter.com/hubertlepicki/status/1000418791342342144
If your news channels and articles are so true why do you need to fear something that rates your credibility lmao. Ironically they are saying “He can’t handle criticism” while burning on Elon making a joke. ??
— Ritwik (@RitNagar) May 26, 2018
Well said. NYT journo is outraged that “dumb” public wd dare critique him while attacking me for being sensitive to criticism. Uhh… https://t.co/vZbyUY1rf4
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 26, 2018
I perhaps didn't fully clarify my respect for good journalists – they fill a vital role. I'm just fed up (and they should be too) with the crap ones. And I think all @elonmusk has been saying is that those people should be called out for the hacks they are.
— Bonnie Norman (@bonnienorman) May 26, 2018
Yeah, that’s exactly right. But after suggesting public critique, I was stunned to see the level of contempt many in media have for their readers. This is way worse than I thought. https://t.co/NMAks4jrZ1
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 26, 2018
Why do journalists criticize everybody but yet can't face criticism themselves? https://t.co/rEE3fgw4NH
— A (@iNeedBiryani) May 26, 2018
This is what happens when @elonmusk takes a public poll on Twitter where 87% wished a site rating journalists via its readership existed. The backlash from journos has been predictably sharp, and with many instantly comparing him to Trump. How original of them. https://t.co/sVj07iK9F9
— Michael Bielecki (@MBielecki) May 26, 2018
https://twitter.com/GlomarNeverDies/status/1000508631996133377
Impressive how dense journalists can be. They get rightfully criticised, and instead of trying to solve the issue, they try to slander @elonmusk to take his credibility away.
If someone criticises you, and your only defence is slandering their name, you've already lost the fight. https://t.co/yStR0AldzX— R.O.B. main (@elempiar) May 26, 2018
See the irony, journalists. You lot need to handle criticism sensibly too. There exists a huge amount of tailor-made content by countless propaganda-driven news agencies. No attack on the righteous here. https://t.co/kPQ122mWCv
— Vijay Sankar (@Pink_HeImet) May 26, 2018
He sends cargo ships to the int'l space station complete with ingredients to make beer; he lands rockets back on earth for reuse; he created the world's largest lithium-ion battery to help solve Australia's blackout problems.
His name is Elon Musk & you can kiss his sweet ass. https://t.co/JtWzCBVI7V
— Dani the Girl (@NewYearsDani) May 26, 2018
Related:
'BEAST MODE ACTIVATED': Elon Musk UNLOADS on media for their 'holier-than-thou HYPOCRISY' https://t.co/iTrbmAJCiu
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) May 23, 2018
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