Elon Musk Calls Out the “Hypocrisy of Big Media Companies” in Twitter Tirade
Elon Musk is not happy with media coverage of Tesla. The Tesla CEO came under fire after a series of controversies dogged the company. According to Vanity Fair, a Reveal investigation reported that Tesla’s factory conditions are unsafe, leaving a number of employees with undocumented injuries.
In response, Musk took to Twitter to air his distrust of the “holier-than-thou hypocrisy of big media companies.” He went on to write that the public “no longer respects them” because they “lay claim to the truth, but publish only enough to sugarcoat the lie.”
Donald Trump also found himself in the firing line. Here, Musk argued that the media’s lack of credibility resulted in his election.
Musk also argued that “journos are under pressure to get max clicks,” which in turn draws revenue across ads and engagement. In March, Tesla deleted its Facebook page in response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal and #DeleteFacebook initiative. Musk suggested “fossil fuel companies” are among the “world’s biggest advertisers.”
Musk also said he was “going to create a site where the public can rate the core truth,” adding that journalists and editors will be given a credibility score. He joked it would be called “Pravda,” a reference to the Soviet Union propaganda outlet (the word means “truth” or “justice” in Russian).
In other recent news, Musk’s new girlfriend Grimes defended the SpaceX founder against allegations that Tesla had not allowed employees to unionize.
In related news, Elon Musk says the new Tesla 3 model “will beat anything in its class.” More on that here.