Elon Musk wants a ratings system for reporters
Remember when the global economy collapsed and everyone blamed the media for not digging hard enough to report the true economic picture?
We're back there again. Journalists have never worked harder to protect Americans from the ubiquitous hucksterism that permeates America from Main Street to K Street. And yet, the media remains everyone's favorite punching bag.
Elon Musk is joining the pile on, floating the idea of a ratings system for reporters, editors and publishers based on their "truth" and "credibility" on Twitter. (Remember President Trump's fake news awards for the most dishonest outlets?)
Musk joked that he was going to call it Pravda, formerly the official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Sadly, that name is taken, and so on Friday afternoon, he tweeted that he'd acquired Pravduh.com instead.
Musk is known for championing space travel and is a pioneer in electric cars, but like other thin-skinned billionaire entrepreneurs before (Peter Thiel and Steve Jobs come to mind), controlling negative press has become an obsession. He's not the only one. This week, the Environmental Protection Agency run by Scott Pruitt who who spent $3.5 million on security in a year, prevented the Associated Press and CNN, from covering a session on contaminated water. New York Mayor Bill De Blasio isn't a fan of the media either.
"60 Minutes" journalist Lesley Stahl helped to show why these attacks are so effective. After an interview with President Donald Trump, she asked why he kept discrediting the press and he responded: "You know why I do it? I do it to discredit you all and demean you all so that when you write negative stories about me no one will believe you."
But take stock, reporters. At least Oprah is still on our side.
"We all know the press is under siege these days," Oprah said in her Golden Globes speech. "We also know it's the insatiable dedication to uncovering the absolute truth that keeps us from turning a blind eye to corruption and to injustice."