In the spring of 2020, when President Donald J. Trump wrote messages on Twitter warning that increased reliance on mail-in ballots would lead to a “rigged election,” the platform ran a corrective, debunking his claims.
“Get the facts about mail-in voting,” a content label read. “Experts say mail-in ballots are very rarely linked to voter fraud,” the hyperlinked article declared.
This month, Elon Musk, who has since bought Twitter and rebranded it X, echoed several of Mr. Trump’s claims about the American voting system, putting forth distorted and false notions that American elections were wide open for fraud and illegal voting by noncitizens.
This time, there were no fact checks. And the X algorithm — under Mr. Musk’s direct control — helped the posts reach large audiences, in some cases drawing many millions of views.
Since taking control of the site, Mr. Musk has dismantled the platform’s system for flagging false election content, arguing it amounted to election interference.
That sounds amazing–and terrifying! You’re one of those real life “I bought a boat and just went people.” While I couldn’t do a boat open ocean, one day I hope to emulate you and do something like the Great Loop, and other adventures. Fair winds and following seas.
Hey, thanks. Yeah, I sailed a lot as a kid, then just didn’t for several decades. It was always my dream to just go, but there was no way I could afford it. Then I found a pretty good deal, looked at my life and this country and just kind of said fuck it. It would be a blast to do the Great Loop! I hope you get to do it.