Axios CEO Jim VandeHei and X owner Elon Musk had a heated exchange over who defines “media” in the wake of the election.
In the early morning hours of November 6, when Donald Trump was declared the next president, Musk I wrote “You're the media now,” he has repeated to his X number of followers in the weeks since.
VandeHei gave an impassioned speech Thursday in response to accepting the National Press Club's fourth annual Estate Award alongside Axios co-founder Mike Allen.
“I hate the damn argument of, 'Oh, we don't need the media,'” the Axios CEO said, later claiming that for journalists, “everything we do is open to criticism.” did.
“Every day, or today, Elon Musk sits on Twitter with -You are not the media,' he said to applause.
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Elon Musk laughs on stage at the New York Times Dealbook Summit 2023 held at Jazz at Lincoln Center on November 29, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for The New York Times) (Getty Images)
“Just because you have a blue checkmark, a Twitter handle, and 300 words of wisdom doesn't make you a reporter, if I look at your head, you don't become a reporter.'' It's like you can become a reporter by just looking at me and telling me I have great tools.'' Damn brain surgeon, right? What we're doing, what journalists are doing, what you're doing in Mississippi, what Al Jazeera is doing in the Middle East,” he said, referring to the other honorees in attendance. he said.
VandeHei then appeared to call out Musk again, saying, “Are you declaring yourself a reporter? That's nonsense. In the same way, being a reporter is hard, really hard. You gotta care. I have to do the hard work.'' I wake up every day and say, “I have to do the hard work. “I want to be as close to the truth as possible without fear or favoritism.'' That can be achieved through hard work, not just a whimsical opinion on Twitter. ”
Musk shared a clip of his speech, answered“Yeah, whatever, LOL.” He then appeared to say to the X users, “You guys are the media now, and the legacy media knows it.”
He also responded to a Not The Bee article headlined, “Axios CEO melts down as Elon Musk says citizen reporters have overrun corporate media,” saying, “That's because it's working. Now. You are the media.”
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Axios CEO Jim VandeHei has harshly criticized Elon Musk and the X Platform, accusing him of encouraging not only journalists but also ordinary people to seek out the truth about current events. (National Press Club YouTube live channel)
“Traditional media has forgotten that honesty is really the best policy,” he added. “From now on, you are the media.”
The day after the election, Mr. Musk I wrote“While most traditional media brutally lied to the public, the reality of this election was clear when you saw X. You are the media now. Post your thoughts and observations about Please correct others if I'm wrong and there will be at least one place in the world where you can come find the truth. ”
The credibility and popularity of mainstream media has plummeted in recent years.
A poll shared by Gallup in October found that Americans' trust in the news media remains at historic lows, with respondents saying they have “a lot” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the media to cover the news well. Only 31% of those surveyed did so.
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“For the third year in a row, more U.S. adults have no trust in the media at all (36%) than have a great deal or a fair amount of trust in the media. An additional 33% of Americans “I don't really trust it,'' said Gallup senior editor Megan. Brennan wrote.
The poll also shows that the news media is the “least trusted group of the 10 civic and political institutions in the United States,” with Congress trailing just behind at 34%.
