Self-described author, journalist, and radio host, Grant Stern, lobbed a context-deficient Twitter grenade at Matt Taibbi of Twitter Files fame, claiming the video clip he shared proves that Taibbi ‘did the Twitter Files to protect Elon Musk’.
As you are well aware, one of the basic rules of Social Media 101 is that you should immediately distrust any video clip that clearly is missing the surrounding context.
Grant Stern shared a 2-second video clip. 2 seconds. LOL.
Taibbi can be heard in the clip saying ‘I was trying to protect Elon, actually’.
Matt Taibbi just admitted the thing he refused to admit to Congress:
He did the Twitter Files “to protect Elon” Musk.pic.twitter.com/GXKJrLD2ig
— Grant Stern (@grantstern) April 22, 2023
Let’s repeat that one more time: From that 2-second clip, Grant Stern ‘informs’ his readers that Matt Taibbi was admitting that he did his work on the Twitter Files to protect Elon Musk.
Taibbi responded.
You people are shockingly dishonest. This is referencing my refusal to leave Substack and move to Twitter subscriptions. The full quote is: “This whole business of me maybe moving to Twitter or using this new subscription service – I was trying to protect Elon in this situation…… https://t.co/HtsSB534R1
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) April 23, 2023
‘Shockingly dishonest’ is a pretty accurate assessment in this case. Taibbi provides the full quote from his recent interview with Jimmy Dore:
‘This whole business of me maybe moving to Twitter or using this new subscription service – I was trying to protect Elon in this situation … I was trying to communicate this to him: the Twitter Files wouldn’t be taken seriously if there was even a theoretical financial relationship between the two of us.’
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Grant Stern had to be aware of this context if he took the time to edit the clip down to 2 seconds.
Shockingly dishonest, indeed.
I see you’ve met Grant Stern.
— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) April 23, 2023
LOL.
So what exactly is the context here?
This was a discussion about a recent rift that occurred between Twitter boss, Elon Musk, and the star of the Twitter Files, Matt Taibbi.
Taibbi is a Substack writer. That’s where he makes his money. Recent moves by Substack to try to bite into Twitter’s market share raised alarms with Elon Musk, who apparently wanted Taibbi to leave Substack and come to Twitter. Taibbi was not on board.
The deceptively edited clip provided by Stern was actually Taibbi saying that him leaving Substack to go to Twitter in April of 2023 would create a direct financial situation between the two, which could cast doubt on the independence of his reporting on the Twitter Files (which began back in December of 2022). It’s a valid point.
Grant Stern wants his readers to believe that this is Taibbi admitting that he ‘did the Twitter Files to protect Elon Musk’. Wow.
Grant Stern is the guy who wrote a whole story based on Rebekah Jones’s lies about a criminal case being brought against one of her opponents and then had to retract the whole thing.
— Rev. Dr. Ashanti Van Buren+ (@AshantiVanBuren) April 23, 2023
So … not exactly a trustworthy source.
A three second clip with no context. pic.twitter.com/hijtiNbgWu
— The Flamen Dialis (@FlamenDia1is) April 23, 2023
2-second, but who’s counting. LOL.
You’ll be shocked at both the hidden replies and Community Notes here. I always thought Grant was an honest journalist before this! https://t.co/OH55cqF8qO
— Damin Toell (@damintoell) April 23, 2023
Imagine a ‘journalist’ who is the executive editor at the partisan propaganda pipeline known as OccupyDemocrats, trying to call out another journalist as biased.
Oh dear. I have sent Elon’s shill @mtaibbi to a fainting couch. So, Musk is his source, which he wouldn’t admit before. He fielded a business proposition from his source. He declined it, to protect his source’s interests.
BUT he denies writing the Twitter Files to benefit Elon. https://t.co/haxkiWtpGr
— Grant Stern (@grantstern) April 23, 2023
For his part, Grant Stern doubled-down after being called out.
It did not go well.
If you have to cut a clip down to 2 seconds it's pretty damned obvious you're spreading misinformation.
— Brad (@FromTheTwits) April 23, 2023
Ha! Never, ever, ever, ever trust a 2-second video clip.
2 second clip? Why are you so afraid of context? Cause you're lying. That's why.
— Ministry of Truth (@Thoughtpolice07) April 23, 2023
It’s pretty bad when the Ministry of Truth is calling you out for propaganda. LOL.
Why not do the right thing and admit you took a tiny, out of context clip from a video interview and tried to deceive your followers?https://t.co/PaqaAW3xTN
— Deece (@Deece5555) April 23, 2023
That’s not going to happen. This user shared the entire video clip, if you’re interested in seeing the full context.
Nobody is deceived. @mtaibbi freely admits his “journalistic” motive is to help out Elon Musk. No window dressing changes it.
— Grant Stern (@grantstern) April 23, 2023
Nobody is deceived now after others corrected the record.
Must be painful pic.twitter.com/CpbdEThLxt
— sͥʜᴀᴡͣɴͫ 🏹🎯 (@USAVet2003) April 23, 2023
LOL. Community Notes was on this one as well, providing the full context of the quote.
Just take the L dude..
— Tuna (@TheBigTuna66) April 23, 2023
Seriously, just take the L.
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