Former CNN host Don Lemon sparred with X Platform owner and entrepreneur Elon Musk over allegations of hate speech on the app, but Lemon said content needs to be moderated. .
Lemon started a talk show on most social media platforms after he was fired from CNN in 2023. The first episode of “”don lemon show” featured an interview with Mr. Musk inside the Tesla manufacturing factory.
After discussing Tesla and pressing Musk on who he would support in the 2024 presidential election, Lemon launched into a long segment endorsing the idea that Company X desperately needs content moderation.
“These are just a handful of highly anti-Semitic and racist tropes and tweets that are still being posted on X as of this morning,” Lemon said, adding that prints of memes of varying degrees of offensiveness are still being posted on X as of this morning. He said this while showing the out to Mr. Musk.
“If it’s illegal, we’ll remove it,” Musk replied.
“But these have been there for a while.” Lemon is back.
“Are they illegal?” Musk asked.
“They are not illegal, but they are hateful and can lead to violence,” Lemon charged, laying out the crux of most of the former network anchor’s arguments. Lemon then cited a study that showed an increase in “hate speech” against X (Musk disputed this) and had a long discussion with the billionaire about why platforms should tighten their control over speech. did.
Musk took Lemon’s remarks as a defense of censorship.
“So Don, you love censorship,” Musk asserted.
“No, I don’t like censorship. I believe in moderation, but I don’t believe in censorship,” Lemon said.
“Moderate is a propaganda word that means censorship. … If something is illegal, we’re going to take it down, but if it’s not illegal, we’re going to put our thumb on the scale. So we’re being censored,” the SpaceX operator said. He explained.
Lemon sought to link online “hate speech” and mass shootings around the world to the “Great Replacement Theory,” which he called a “Jewish conspiracy.” Lemon complained that the persistence of conspiracy theories about X is also due to poor content moderation.
Just when it looked like the two were going to walk away from the topic, Musk reiterated that Lemon was advocating censorship outside U.S. law.
“You want censorship, I don’t want it,” Musk argued.
“No, I don’t want censorship. I want accountability,” Lemon tried to explain.
“You desperately want censorship,” Musk countered. “You want censorship so much that you can taste it. … We have a responsibility to abide by the law, and if the people want the law changed, their elected representatives We should talk to them and get them to change the law so we can abide by the law.”The law. “
Lemon’s new show was originally slated to be an X-backed show as part of a new lineup that included sports host Jim Rome and former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii.
but, Lemon reported Their contract was reportedly terminated by Musk just hours after their sit-in was recorded.
Shortly after, Lemon made incredible demands as part of the deal, including a podcast in space via SpaceX, a Tesla Cybertruck, a $5 million advance on an $8 million salary, and stock in the X Platform. It was reported that he did.
Jay Schurs, agent at United Talent Agency, said: new york post He insisted the allegations were “complete and utter nonsense and have no basis in truth.”
X declined to comment on the details of the partnership.
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