Talk about an instant reaction. MSNBC’s Katy Tur, MSNBC’s host on Thursday was furious at Musk for purchasing Twitter. Her shrill declarations ranged from claiming he was going to charge for access to “real and devastating” plus “life and globe-altering consequences” if Musk obtained the site and allowed free speech to flourish.
Without evidence, Tur began the segment by suggesting if Musk “gets his way” he was going to make Twitter a pay-to-access service. “Will you soon have to pay to use Twitter? Maybe Elon Musk will get his way. He’s trying to buy the platform,” she declared.
And despite announcing “here’s what he said about it just moments ago,” the soundbite she played had nothing about a subscription model or anything that would indicate Musk would charge to use Twitter:
Twitter has effectively become the main town square. So – It’s really important that people have both the reality and the perception that they’re able to speak freely, within the bounds of the law, and so one of the things I believe Twitter should do is open source the algorithm.
Tur spoke with New York Times contributor Kara Swisher who claimed the richest man in the world couldn’t “afford” to buy Twitter. “I think he’s much more serious than that but Even though he mentioned it onstage, I’m not certain he has the means to afford it. I don’t think he can. He puts his other companies at great risk,” she said.
Tur made it known at one time that she had lost one of her children. “big” concerns “as a member of the media” was Musk allowing “somebody like Donald Trump back on the platform[.]”
Swisher noted that Musk had objected to Trump’s ban at the time but suggested Musk wouldn’t be able to live up to his free speech idealism once he realized what it took to run a social media company:
He has done some research in the area of free speech and has spoken about it, but never managed a social media site. It is almost like falling into a cesspool. He would probably find it much more challenging to run it, and figure out what should or shouldn’t be done. He’s better at making observations, and that’s easier than trying to run it. Running it, I believe is another matter.
“It’s so tricky, Kara, because there are real and devastating consequences for using that platform to lie,”Tur lamented and suggested that Musk would take control. “But there are massive life and globe-altering consequences for just letting people run wild on the thing.”
Twitter was the one that reacted in a Soviet-style way to the Hunter Biden laptop story.
At the end of the segment, Tur noted that Musk also hinted at a “plan B” if the board rejected his offer and Swisher said he sounded like a “supervillain” or a “hero” like Tony Stark from Marvel.
This hair-in-fire fearmongering was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships form Applebee’s and UPS. The following links provide their contact information.
The transcript can be found below. Click “expand to view:
MSNBC’s Katy Tur reports
April 14, 2022
Eastern, 2:17:24KATYTUR: Are you going to soon be required to pay to access Twitter? Perhaps, Elon Musk will get his way. He’s trying to buy the platform. And here’s what he said about it just moments ago at the tech conference in Vancouver.
[Cuts to video]
ELON MUSSK: Twitter is effectively the town square. So – It’s really important that people have both the reality and the perception that they’re able to speak freely, within the bounds of the law, and so one of the things I believe Twitter should do is open source the algorithm.
[Cuts back to live]
Musk offers a $54.20-per-share premium to Twitter users. Twitter stock is currently priced at $46. Also, he’s talking trash. In a letter to Twitter’s chairman saying he doesn’t have confidence in the current management structure and that he, Elon Musk, can, quote, “unlock it’s potential.”
(…)
Eastern, 2:19:12
KARA SWISHER – I believe that a majority of Wall Street doesn’t think this man is serious because the stock hasn’t risen in a while. They think he’s doing some sort of way to get out of the stock, and that’s what it looks like from Wall Street’s perspective. He is probably more serious than this, but even though he claimed it onstage, it’s not clear if he has the financial means to afford it. I don’t think he can. His other businesses are at risk.
TUR: What would the stockholders do if he could afford to buy it? And when he’s asked whether he’s a free speech absolutist, and he says yes, I guess, what does that mean? As a journalist, one of my biggest questions is: Would he allow Donald Trump to return on the platform?
SWISHER: He objected at the time. As you recall when Twitter knocked him off, Jack Dorsey made that decision, Elon thought that wasn’t correct. It was something he tweeted several times about, I believe. However, at the very least, he once thought that it was a bad thing.
He has done some research in the area of free speech and has spoken about it, but never managed a social media site. It is almost like falling into a cesspool. He would probably find it much more challenging to run it, and figure out what should or shouldn’t be done. He’s better at making observations, and that’s easier than trying to run it. Running it, I believe is another matter.
One of the things that’s most interesting is that this company is not a big company and not a good business, and I think he’s right that the potential needs to be unlocked and it has more value over the course of its history.
(…)
Eastern: 2:23 p.m.
Kara, it’s tricky because you can face serious consequences if you lie on this platform. And we’ve seen it happen. You know what? It is funny that Elon Musk wanted to buy it. However, there are —
SWISHER: It’s mine —
TUR — However, there can be devastating consequences that could have a major impact on our lives and the world if we allow people to get carried away with this thing.
SWISHER: Yes, 100 percent. Facebook, however, is the place where all of that really happens. This is not a large company. Because it is liked by media professionals, world leaders and politicians, as well as Elon Musk, the company has a large influence.
(…)
TUR We’ll find out what that is.
SWISHER: This is what a hero, supervillain would say. Right?
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