 "'Your posts could get someone killed': TED chief Chris Anderson warns Musk")
In an open letter to Elon Musk, TED chief Chris Anderson said the influence of Musk’s social media posts on global discourse, cautioning that some of these posts could “literally get someone killed”.
Anderson expressed concern over Musk’s recent behaviour, stating, “He misses the old Elon”, and accused Musk, the owner of X, of disregarding “core tenets of journalism”, labelling his approach as “playground bullying”.
In a detailed post on X (formerly Twitter), Anderson shared, “With a certain amount of trepidation, I am posting this open letter to Elon Musk, someone I have admired, but who, right now, is causing me concern.”
Anderson’s comments come amid Musk’s recent actions, including targeting governments like Canada and Germany, as well as attacking UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer following Donald Trump’s election victory in the US. Musk has also publicly supported far-right activists and advocated for the release of jailed UK protester Tommy Robinson.
“I am quite deeply worried that in your triumphant seizing of the global conversation, some of the core tenets of journalism are being forgotten. Without them, I think your efforts to make X the respected home of citizen journalism will fail,” Anderson said.
He emphasised the vast influence Musk has on the platform, noting that his posts reach far beyond his direct followers due to widespread media coverage. “This makes Rupert Murdoch at his prime seem inconsequential,” Anderson remarked, referencing the media mogul.
Using examples, Anderson urged Musk to exercise caution, particularly when making serious accusations. “For example, when you tell hundreds of millions of people that someone should be hanged or jailed for outrageous crimes against humanity, just possibly you should first sound out what those who know those people really well would say about them. Some of your recent posts could literally get someone killed,” he warned.
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Anderson stressed the importance of the “fairness doctrine” in journalism, mentioning that critical claims should always be balanced by reaching out for the other side of the story. “There are numerous journalistic principles that matter... But there’s one in particular that’s been troubling me. It’s the fairness doctrine,” he explained.
Condemning some of Musk’s posts as “crass and cruel”, Anderson warned that such behaviour risks Musk becoming a “laughing stock” among those he seeks to win over. “Long-term that’s going to damage X, your other businesses, and indeed your long-term dreams for humanity. No one wants to follow a playground bully to Mars,” Anderson said, referring to Musk’s vision for human colonisation of the red planet.