In the battle of Elon Musk v the press, we canât let truth be the loser | Jane Martinson
The trillionaire Tesla owner has called the editor of the Economist a âtraitor to the westâ after a clash-filled interview. How should the media respond?
The trillionaire Tesla owner has called the editor of the Economist a âtraitor to the westâ after a clash-filled interview. How should the media respond? Elon Muskâs long interview with the editor of the Economist is as good a representation as any of the current clash between two worlds. In one corner, the editor of an 182-year-old news organisation which promotes economic liberalism and freedom. In the other, the worldâs first trillionaire, who spreads misinformation to his hundreds of millions of followers on his own social media platform.
The bout is a masterclass in the challenges journalists face in a new world of AI, fact avoidance and online aggression. The flash points in Zanny Minton Beddoesâ conversation with Musk start with definitions. Musk says that the people Minton Beddoes calls âfar-rightâ and âfringeâ (she mentions Germanyâs AfD party) are in fact just ânormal peopleâ. They clash over whether the speed of his cuts to USAID led to unnecessary deaths in developing countries â she believes his claim that it didnât defies not only statistics but the evidence from her reporters on the ground.
Asked if he is racist, he cites the fact he has four children with a woman who is âhalf Indianâ. In an awkward exchange, when asked by Minton Beddoes whether he is anti-Muslim, Musk says he is against âpeople coming to a country with antithetical views ⌠Iâm against rape and murder.â Jane Martinson is a Guardian columnist. She is a board member of the Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian Media Group. As the Marjorie Deane professor of financial journalism at City St Georgeâs, University of London, she has a connection through a charitable foundation to Zanny Minton Beddoes, who is chair of trustees.
She writes in a personal capacity Continue reading...
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