When billionaire and entrepreneur Elon Musk visited the southern border to report on what is happening with the immigration crisis, it not only shed more light on the problem but inadvertently highlighted one of the elite establishment’s greatest fears: Citizen journalism.
The backlash against Musk’s visit was fierce, with high-profile leftists snarking about his effort to inform his millions of followers about the severity of the border crisis.
In one case, MSNBC anchor Mehdi Hasan castigated Musk, the owner of X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. In a post on the platform, he questioned why Musk felt he should have gone down to the region.
I know we’ve become numb to this in the age of Trump and celeb politicians, but why is a businessman who runs tech and car companies at the border giving us updates and being hosted by officials and law enforcement? What is the point of this? Why does he think he should be there?
I know we’ve become numb to this in the age of Trump and celeb politicians, but why is a businessman who runs tech and car companies at the border giving us updates and being hosted by officials and law enforcement? What is the point of this? Why does he think he should be there? https://t.co/EVL3rFD0rM
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) September 28, 2023
Others on the left took issue with Musk’s southern border visit, referring to it as a “stunt” intended to get attention for himself. Since taking over the X platform, Musk has been an avid supporter of citizen journalism, expressing his desire for more individuals to use the social media site to report on stories they believe are important.
Media want to control what you know, which is why citizen journalism is essential https://t.co/cVL6C1VZXm
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 18, 2023
The backlash over the billionaire’s actions is quite telling when you take a closer look at those who have an issue with a private citizen reporting on an issue that impacts the country. The heart of this outrage lies in an unspoken truth: The elitist fear of a regular person engaging in journalism.
Of course, Musk is far from being a regular person. But the underlying truth is that one does not need to be a billionaire to be a citizen journalist. All it takes is a camera and the ability to publish information on the internet. This is terrifying to members of the elite press for one compelling reason: It hinders their ability to dominate and control the narratives they put forth for the public to eagerly consume. In an era where technology empowers individuals to disseminate dissenting narratives, the monopolistic grip of the establishment is weakening. Indeed, as trust in the media continues plummeting, those who have a smartphone and computer have an opportunity to showcase the stories the elites would rather we not see.
The border crisis is a perfect example.
Ever since President Joe Biden took office, the U.S. has experienced unprecedented numbers of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants crossing the border to gain entry into the country. The situation highlights one of the Biden administration’s most embarrassing and damaging failures, which is precisely why the once-vaunted Fourth Estate has downplayed – or outright ignored – the problem, which is continually getting worse. The advent of alternative media has cultivated a fertile new ground in which journalism is becoming an increasingly democratized profession.
Of course, the outrage coming from the authoritarian elites on the left is not rooted in an authentic concern for journalistic integrity as they would have us believe. It is not important to them to ensure that Americans are receiving accurate information. Rather, their quarrel is with the reality that they no longer have a stranglehold on the ability to influence and inform the populace. Hasan’s whiny-assed reaction to Musk’s border visit is simply a microcosm of what many of these individuals are railing about in their ivory towers.
If anything, Musk’s citizen journalism should be replicated by as many people as possible. Indeed, it seems one of the reasons he did it in the first place is to encourage others to take up the mantle of citizen journalism, which is something that the Ivy Leaguers in the media simply cannot abide. Unfortunately for them, there isn’t much they can do to stop it.
