August 8th, 2024

Elon Musk shares fake news about England rioters being sent to Falklands

Elon Musk shared a fake article about UK rioters being sent to the Falklands, which was deleted after 30 minutes. The Telegraph confirmed it was fabricated, raising concerns about misinformation on social media.

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Elon Musk shares fake news about England rioters being sent to Falklands

Elon Musk recently shared a fabricated article on social media claiming that UK leader Keir Starmer was considering sending far-right rioters to detention camps in the Falklands. The post, which included a mocked-up image of a Telegraph article, was viewed nearly two million times before Musk deleted it after about 30 minutes. The Telegraph confirmed that the article was fake and had never been published, stating that they had requested the post's removal. Despite the backlash, Musk has continued to criticize the UK government's handling of recent riots and has engaged in a public dispute with Starmer, suggesting that civil unrest is imminent. Musk's actions have drawn attention to the challenges of misinformation on social media platforms, particularly under his ownership of X (formerly Twitter), which has faced scrutiny for its content moderation policies. Additionally, the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS trust announced it would close its account on X, citing a misalignment with its values. Musk's controversial statements and actions have sparked discussions about free speech and the responsibilities of social media platforms in managing harmful content.

- Elon Musk shared a fake article about UK rioters being sent to the Falklands, which was later deleted.

- The Telegraph confirmed the article was fabricated and had never been published.

- Musk continues to criticize the UK government's response to riots despite the backlash.

- His ownership of X has raised concerns about misinformation and content moderation.

- The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS trust closed its X account, citing value misalignment.

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By @jarsin - 5 months
So that explains why my feed filled with all these Brits overnight.
By @scohesc - 5 months
This really reads like a badly disguised hit piece against Elon, doesn't it?

The guy posted something he thought was real, then deleted it when it turns out it wasn't.

Then the writer goes on to mention he "hasn't apologized" and "continues sharing material criticizing the UK government and law enforcement authorities' responses to the riots".

Why does he need to apologize? Oh no, he made a mistake - going by that logic, the Guardian's owners should publicly apologize to all their readers if they get anything wrong. I doubt they do. I would assume they put little "addendums" underneath articles - knowing full well that anybody who has already read the article isn't going back to read it a second time to check for corrections.

And then they list further "hit-piece-y" tidbits about criticisms about how he's run the platform, how companies have decided to leave, how he's suing advertisers...

I don't like the guy for his attitude and demeanor, but come on, it's so clear this was written by someone who needed to get an article out before a deadline.

Is the Guardian located in the same place the riots are happening? It would make more sense I guess, since the riots are affecting the publisher directly, but still...?