HelmarNov 20, 2022
Dan Gillmor

Dear journalists: Please do not report Musk's ridiculous Trump-reinstatement "poll" as anything other than what it is, a fraudulent fig leaf to justify what he planned to do anyway.

It is journalistic malpractice to treat it any other way. Please don't fall for this.

Nov 20, 2022 at 7:04amMastodon Twitter Crossposter
Show threadDan GillmorNov 20, 2022

CNBC's article on the Trump reinstatement is a case study in how to botch the story. A single word -- calling it a "straw" poll -- substitutes for actual journalism. No other hint how bogus this "poll" was, and how deceitful Musk has been.

Maybe it's hopeless to expect better.

Show threadRyan SmithNov 20, 2022
@dangillmor Disagree because calling it hopeless lets them off the hook.
Show threadCritical CanuckNov 21, 2022

@dangillmor Would you really expect #CNBC, or by extension any corporate #media, to critically report on the actions of one of the 1%?

I'm not surprised CNBC would be the case study for a terrible story, I'm actually more surprised that they weren't *more* celebratory of the billionaire's antics.

Show threadFrauenfelderNov 21, 2022
@dangillmor how many millions of bots voted to replatform Tr*mp?
Show threadexcited for the mastodon riseNov 21, 2022
@dangillmor as long as people keep watching and discussing they will not get better
Show threadFranco MNov 21, 2022
@dangillmor Not following Musk really. His mind I mean. He hates progressives that buy his Tesla and embraces the conservatives that fear his cancer causing cars.
Show threadRayNov 20, 2022
@dangillmor i couldn't even vote on it. It kept showing 100 percent yes for trump with one vote
Show threadJason KintNov 20, 2022
@dangillmor exactly. And the same goes to reporting the drama over will he or won’t he rejoin since Trump said he’s not planing to come back. Musk was always going to reinstate him. And of course Trump is going to return to the big stage from his filter bubble app.
Show threadAnders Puck NielsenNov 20, 2022
@dangillmor Well, with Elon it’s hard to know. Another question is how many of the accounts that voted that are actual people.
Show threadbjb  Nov 20, 2022
@dangillmor Another case of chasing away the people who might not vote the way you like, and then holding a "vote".
Show threadMark R. StonemanNov 20, 2022
@dangillmor I'd say it was also for selfaggrandizement and to create a spectacle.
Show threadSilke Hahn ♻️Nov 20, 2022
@dangillmor reminds me of Putin holding "public votes" in some occupied Ukrainian territories. I voted "No". If this was a referendum at all and about reinstating Trump (with or without a mock legitimacy to do so), not a trick to detect bots or kick out/ deboost more non-aligned users. The Twitter owner asked a shiboleth question.
Show threadSilke Hahn ♻️Nov 20, 2022

@dangillmor “And those people should not be listened to who keep saying 'the voice of the people is the voice of God', since the #riotousness of the crowd is always very close to #madness.” *

Cf. Elon's misquote: Alkuin wrote this to #Charlemagne (798). He was opposed to #voxDei tweets.

*Nec audiendi qui solent dicere, Vox populi, vox Dei, quum tumultuositas vulgi semper insaniae proxima sit. ✍🏻 Alkuin of York (735-804)

#voxPopuli #voxDei #populism
https://sigmoid.social/@silke/109372780281243446

Silke Hahn ♻️ (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image “And those people should not be listened to who keep saying 'the voice of the people is the voice of God', since the #riotousness of the crowd is always very close to #madness.” Dear #Elon: Alcuin wrote this to #Charlemagne (798). TL;DR he was opposed to #voxDei tweets. Latin original: Nec audiendi qui solent dicere, Vox populi, vox Dei, quum tumultuositas vulgi semper insaniae proxima sit. ✍🏻 Alkuin of York (735-804) #voxPopuli #voxDei #populism #propaganda #riot https://twitter.com/_SilkeHahn/status/1594087007554355200

Sigmoid Social
Show threadBrian SharwoodNov 20, 2022
@dangillmor he could have easily made those numbers whatever he wanted. Remember that.
Show threadjasonrmsmith 🌊 🌊Nov 20, 2022
@dangillmor 100%.
Show threadStever RobbinsNov 20, 2022
@dangillmor P.S. you've seen this playbook before. Examine what happened in past years and explicitly respond differently. Hint: search for *facts* not "two sides" or opinions.