This pattern of manufactured outrage points clearly to what’s coming next. I fully expect that we’ll get a functional equivalent of “The Twitter Files.” Just as when Musk took over Twitter, and insisted that the old management was up to all sorts of no good, from being infused with “woke” ideology to government infiltration.
His playbook then was simple: hand-pick credulous journalists, give them selective access to internal documents, and let confirmation bias do the rest.
We reported extensively on what was revealed in “The Twitter Files” and the answer was abso-fucking-lutely nothing. The documents revealed thoughtful policy discussions and principled content moderation approaches, not the scandal Musk promised.
Yet thanks to relentless repetition by right-wing media and congressional allies, many remain absolutely 100% convinced the Twitter Files exposed massive wrongdoing on an epic scale.
Now, we should expect the same with this government takeover. These rumors and nonsense about USAID and other agencies will lead to some of the most absolute bullshit reporting in a long while. Elon will have little trouble finding willing amplifiers for his narratives.
Just as the Twitter Files transformed routine content moderation into imaginary censorship campaigns, mundane government operations will become evidence of sinister plots.
Meanwhile, mainstream media will likely fall into their familiar trap of false equivalence, wrapping obviously false claims in the careful language of “allegedly” and “according to reports,” rather than directly challenging the premise.
This is sadly what I expect as well, Musk promoting his bullshit, and the media just repeating it without any critical thought.