Os it's not just the NYT that's called GE out. I think you know that but it doesn't suit your narrative.
The trouble is, it's all too easy to say "we won't be perfect, but when we make mistakes, we'll fix it very quickly" is such a soft get-out. He'll shout about these savings he's made on Twitter, and people who exist on there (and comically consider it a 'news app') will believe it. It'll then be quietly disappeared WITHOUT GOOD JOURNALISM to notice what has happened. Now the people that sit on his Twitter will, on the very unusual occasion an article is pointed out from the NYT, say things like "it's the NYT they just hate him" and ignore it. The others will CONTINUE TO BELIEVE that those things happened. It's really, really, really bad. And it's why good journalism that actually does hold people accountable is so important. It's also why the likes of Trump and Musk are so determined to destroy the media, because they don't like being held accountable. Not one bit. The irony would be delicious if it weren't so destructive.
Reports today that amongst Trump’s latest wheezes are plans to redraw the border with Canada and re-occupy Bagram airfield in Afghanistan which is allegedly held by the Chinese army ! The bloke is completely crazy.
Oh please. The legacy media hasn’t held people to account for decades. They are a propaganda machine for the established order at this point. X is the only place where you can get a variety of opinions, left and right. Musk is being held accountable by Trump and Congress. He has all the necessary security passes and he has been given authority by the democratically elected president who specifically ran with the DOGE in mind. You seem to want to pretend like musk is some evil guy doing all this in a vacuum. It’s simply not true. Millions of people specifically want him to do this. And so far he’s doing an objectively great job. No one else has been able to tackle the bureaucracy. Many have tried and failed. There is simply no better person for this role. He has experience in turning round failing businesses and creating multiple successful corporations. He has access to the brightest software engineers and he is extremely intelligent How do you suggest an audit of government fraud and waste is done, if not in an extreme way by the most qualified individual possible?
****ing hell! You know the first thing it says is “Asset Sales”. Since when was going to the pawn shop a money saving measure???
The first two lines don't even deserve a response, they're so absolutely loop-de-loop ridiculous. The part I will respond to - I don't think Musk is an evil guy at all. I think he's a child in an adult's body though, and with little to no self-regulation or control. That's not somebody I would trust with an important job.
Oh wow. I asked Grok and apparently “specific details about what assets have been sold are not clearly itemized or broken down on the DOGE website or in related public reporting as of the current date, March 03, 2025.” That is transparent??
You think a child could have had the success he has had? He has built not one, not two but multiple billion dollar businesses. Revolutionised multiple industries. His sense of humour is crass at times, for sure. He often shares things without thinking, but ultimately he is just one man and people can ignore him if they like. There is literally no one better in the world more qualified to do the job he is being asked to do
I think he has a multitude of psychological issues. There's no doubt he's a smart enough guy, but he's dangerous because he enjoys chaos, and is rich enough not to care about the consequences. It's a game to him. There are plenty of psychologically damaged people who have been brilliant, but you wouldn't want them anywhere near something that needs stability, sense, accountability and steadiness.
I am a bit confused, was Musk actually elected in to Government or was he invited in for another reason?
The “stability, sense, accountability and steadiness” that you are talking about has failed the American people. Categorically. There are entire departments with zero oversight. eg: They are trying to release the Epstein files, right now. But they’ve been blocked by internal departments that think they are above the taxpayer The bureaucracy of the American state is out of control, completely. You stopped listening to his podcast, but he gives a lot of specific examples of spending which are absolutely ludicrous. This chaos is exactly what is needed to upset the establishment and give the people some actual accountability.
I do understand what you mean, even if I disagree with the delivery of it. We're not going to ever fully agree on this, Os, and that's fine. I hope you're right and he overcomes the parts that concern me (and those would very much include the dissemination of disinformation). If he doesn't, then I hope the legacy media that you so deride continues to act responsibly by pointing out those things, even if the people that need to read and understand them never do.
I do too. Unfortunately I can barely point to any articles that point out the positive’s of DOGE. Yet I can find countless articles painting him as an evil fascist. He is now in genuine danger of assassination because of the hyperbole of the media, the same way Trump is. The lies about these guys being Nazis have real consequences
Os, a strong media is absolutely necessary to hold those in power to account. It's always been the case. Trump and Musk seem strangely scared of being held to account, hence why they've spent countless years trying to undermine traditional, effective journalist (and much of it is personal, childish gripes - Musk and Reuters, for instance). You may not like the NYT, for example, (I don't think they're great these days, for what it's worth), but if they're reporting verifiable facts to hold people accountable, that's a very good thing. You seem to be confusing fact based reporting with opinion pieces, and to be honest, you don't read the legacy media, so I'd suggest that your impression of what they are and aren't saying is somewhat warped by where you are getting your information from.
X/ Twitter is a cesspit of misinformation, definitely not policed……(far right leaning) embarrassing to say otherwise frankly. President Musk is not to be trusted.
I agree, people should be held to account. But there is a huge difference between holding people to account, and outright lying. NYT and others are still pushing the lie that Trump said Nazis are good people etc. which is categorically false. Even people on here posted the fake news that Elon did a Nazi salute. It’s simply not true and all those journalists should be absolutely ashamed to write such nonsense. If the criticism is genuine and balanced, I am all for it. Of course his doge project will have some genuine errors and do things wrong. He even said this himself. Real accountability is of course essential. But almost all of the major talking points that people are using are total fabrications. (Security concerns, Nazi sympathiser, etc.)
Nobody truly knows regarding the salute. Not you, not me. You can't say it's fake news, or "simply not true" just because Elon said so. Come on. The one person that does seem to be calling Elon Musk "evil" is...oh...it's Steve Bannon. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/us/politics/steve-bannon-elon-musk.html You also seem to have a problem with lying, but you're not too worried when it's Trump or Musk propagating those lies, both of whom have far greater reach these days than any media outlet?
I have a problem with a lot of the things Musk retweets. But I can also see the bias against his good work too, which I am happy to argue outweighs the negatives
