MSNBC, CBS, The View panic over ‘misinformation,’ free speech on Musk-owned Twitter

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MONTAGE: MSNBC, CBS, The View panic over free speech, ‘misinformation’ after Elon Musk Twitter deal

A number of liberal media networks worried that Elon Musk’s idea of free speech could have damaging effects on the Twitter ecosystem.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who has previously pushed false or misleading talking points himself, expressed concern that Twitter, under the ownership of Elon Musk, would halt the battle against disinformation on social media. 

"Here's my take on the world’s richest man buying Twitter. He makes a great car and rocket. But I’m concerned his personal views will stop the fight against disinformation on social media. The problem on Twitter hasn't been too much content moderation – it's too much hate," Schiff wrote on Tuesday. 

Schiff’s friends in the liberal media have also spent recent days lamenting Musk’s deal to nab the Silicon Valley-based company, with networks such as MSNBC, CBS, and ABC running segments panicking over Musk’s interpretation of free speech and how it could exacerbate misinformation, disinformation, and hate on the platform. 

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U.S. Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks with reporters about the situation in Afghanistan at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. August 23, 2021.  (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

On Tuesday, Musk took to Twitter where he alluded to the negative reactions from the media and Twitter users regarding his recent acquisition. 

"The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all," Musk wrote. In a follow-up tweet, Musk clarified his definition of free speech to mean "that which matches the law."

MSNBC’s Joy Reid appeared to agree with Schiff’s conclusion that "content moderation" hasn’t been a problem on Twitter when she reacted to Musk’s free speech tweet. 

"It sounds like a bunch of gibberish. We have a First Amendment, there is no free speech problem. Twitter is not the government," Reid proclaimed. "Twitter is a private company that can say no you’re not allowed to be a Nazi on Twitter."

Later in the segment Reid claimed that the conservative’s idea of free speech is being able to "punch people in the face" and then laugh about it. 

Just a day earlier on "The ReidOut," MSNBC political analyst Anand Giridharadas claimed a Twitter with more abundant and "equitable speech" terrifies Musk. He said moments earlier that the real free speech issue on the platform was attacks on minorities, not too much content moderation. 

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Nicolle Wallace said President Trump was abusive following Tuesday’s presidential debate.  (NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

"Deadline: White House," anchor Nicolle Wallace made a similar comment when she said that "the problem" with free speech is bigger than Elon Musk, because conservatives are not for free speech, but rather the "political version of yelling fire in a movie theater."

At the top of the segment. Wallace suggested that Musk’s purchase of Twitter sent "shockwaves through much of the anti-disinformation political universe." 

Over on CBS, correspondent Nikki Battiste asked technology reporter Dan Patterson if there could be "any danger in a Twitter owned by Elon Musk?"

"Misinformation and disinformation could be amplified considerably," Patterson warned. "The reality of an Elon Musk owned Twitter is that a number of these bad actors could run rampant across the social network."

Meanwhile, on ABC’s "The View," co-host Sunny Hostin said that Musk was planning to "unleash the trolls" and "take away the guardrails" of Twitter safety, so users can say whatever they want.

"It seems to me that it’s about free speech of straight White men—and so let them have it," Hostin added. 

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Progressive activists and media pundits have repeatedly slammed Musk’s Twitter deal, with many worrying that a lack of content moderation is actually a detriment to free speech, rather than a means to have speech flourish on the platform. 

Fox News' Brandon Gillepsie contributed to this report.