Elon Musk Blames Mainstream Media For Blocking 'Citizen Journalism’: Is Twitter Credible?

Elon Musk has lashed out at the "media elite" for trying to hinder or sabotage social media's "citizen journalism". He alleged that some mainstream media houses, or leading news publications, are trying to derail Twitter's growing influence in covering breaking news and events. Let's see if the new CEO of Twitter is able to steer the social media platform and raise its credibility, which may have taken a hit after the Twitter Blue subscription's botched launch.

Elon Musk Lashes Out At "Media Elite"

Musk took aim at the "media elite" late on Friday night. It is not clear who or what Musk was referring to, but he could be referring to some of the leading news publishing media houses.

Musk claimed that citizen journalism is increasingly challenging the mainstream media's "oligopoly on information". He even added that famous media houses, and the way they report content, are being disrupted.

Mainstream media will still thrive, but increased competition from citizens will cause them to be more accurate, as their oligopoly on information is disrupted

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 11, 2022

Musk conceded that mainstream media is here to stay, and will thrive, but "citizen journalism", prevalent mainly on social media, will cause them to be more accurate.

It appears the Tesla CEO isn't going against media houses. Instead, he could be merely calling them out to a duel. He also seemed to be crediting social media platforms, or specifically Twitter, for being the hub of breaking news straight right from the general citizenry.

Is Twitter As Credible As Musk Suggests?

Elon Musk acquired Twitter barely a fortnight ago. The CEO, and sole board member of the platform, has been making many changes, only to backtrack.

Twitter Blue was the first major product to be redesigned and launched. However, the pricier subscription awarded the Blue Tick to anyone who could pay $7.99 per month. As feared, this created a lot of chaos, which forced Twitter to pull back the subscription and its privileges.

Twitter is now reconsidering the "Official" badge for accounts that were previously verified by the platform. Musk had launched the feature only to pull it back hours later. It appears the badge is now being reintroduced.

Twitter and other social media platforms have indeed challenged the mainstream media and leading publications. Ordinary citizens are now actively cross-checking and vetting nearly every piece of news. The general social media population is also helping break news and report on events.

However, under Musk's leadership, Twitter as a platform seems to be experiencing chaos, confusion, and anxiety. Such aspects are never good for journalism and establishing or improving the credibility of a platform.

It is obvious that Musk would need to offer a safe, stable, and reliable social media platform. But this task looks increasingly difficult.