Elon Musk's constant stream of false and misleading posts from his X social media account have been putting lives at risk as wildfires rage in southern California, according to officials.
The tech mogul and Donald Trump's "first buddy" has been amplifying far-right and racist narratives to his 212 million followers blaming the devastating fires on Democrats and diversity initiatives, downplaying the role of climate change and instead singling out individual women firefighters – specifically women of color or lesbian firefighters – by sharing their faces and names, reported the Washington Post.
“DEI means people DIE,” Musk said in one of dozens of posts about the destruction, and he also replied "true" to a propaganda video from Alex Jones claiming the fires are “part of a larger globalist plot" to bring about the collapse of the U.S.
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Musk has repeatedly boosted posts to his followers falsely claiming the Los Angeles Fire Department’s funding for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs had wasted money that could have been spent on emergency response, and state officials say his posts have stoked chaos and undermined trust in their efforts to contain the blaze and assist residents.
“You’re not just battling a false narrative on one account,” said Brandon Richards, who leads Gov. Gavin Newsom’s rapid-response communication efforts. “You’re battling a false narrative on several major accounts and then all of the people that are regurgitating their content.”
“If people don’t trust their government, but the government is saying you are in an evacuation zone and need to evacuate people, people might not do that, or they might do it too late,” Richards added.
X had worked to elevate reliable sources and push back against misinformation before Musk bought the platform formerly known as Twitter in fall 2022, but the tech CEO has cut most of its trust and safety team and downgraded posts that link to news articles in favor of right-wing influencers who pay monthly fees for blue check marks that were once used to verify public figures and journalists.
“X used to be the place to go to for accurate information in emergencies,” said Renée DiResta, a research professor at Georgetown University . “But changes to how the platform curates content and the increasing prevalence of economically motivated ragemongers have made it far less useful for that.”
However, the platform remains a hub for sharing real-time updates on breaking news events, even as its widely followed owner blasts misinformation into the discourse.
“A lot of people who are generally disconnected from civic or public events, the time when they tune in is around these major crises,” said Isabelle Frances-Wright, director of technology and society at the nonprofit Institute for Strategic Dialogue. “So the way these events are framed, particularly when framed around the broader failings of politicians or political parties, can really shape people’s view of the country longer-term.”