Elon Musk is trying to make a bold bet on establishing X as a trusted news platform, highlighting its status as an “open source news” outlet. He asserted that anything of importance in traditional media is already accessible on X.
In response to a follower who raised concerns about false information circulating on X, Musk affirmed that users have the means to counter it through their own posts and the use of Community Notes. The follower pointed out the contrast with legacy media like CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, or The Washington Post, where the final narrative is controlled and reinforced by the media organisations. Musk concurred, reinforcing X’s identity as an open-source news platform. He emphasised that this perspective is the correct way to approach it, as content relevant to legacy media is readily shared on X.
Nonetheless, some users questioned Musk’s assertion that X would become a trusted news platform. One user expressed concerns about the trustworthiness of information, despite the assistance of Community Notes, noting that sometimes these annotations may not appear promptly. Another user asserted that, in reality, X seemed to be a platform promoting misinformation and targeting American institutions.
In the previous month, Musk encouraged individuals to engage in citizen journalism on X, urging them to embrace this avenue for live video reporting using their phones. He believed that increased on-the-ground reporting by ordinary citizens could bring about significant change.
In a move away from legacy media, X recently ceased displaying headlines for news articles shared on the platform, opting to display only the primary image and the web domain name linked to the image.
Notably, in August, Musk extended an invitation to journalists to publish their work directly on X, formerly known as Twitter, with the promise of higher earnings.
Source: Business Today
