Elon Musk lashes out at media over negative coverage

Tesla and SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk lashed out at reporters on Wednesday over coverage of Tesla’s unionization efforts.

In a series of tweets, Musk took aim at reporters, deriding their stories as a “disinformation campaign” aimed at harming his business.

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Musk denounced an investigation from Reveal News that reportedly found safety issues plaguing Tesla factories and attacked media companies who “publish only enough to sugarcoat the lie.”

“Tesla factory literally has miles of painted yellow lines & tape. Report about forklifts not beeping is also bs. These are both demonstrably false, but were reported as ‘facts’ by Reveal,” Musk wrote.

Tesla factory literally has miles of painted yellow lines & tape. Report about forklifts not beeping is also bs. These are both demonstrably false, but were reported as “facts” by Reveal.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 21, 2018

The billionaire went on to threaten launching a website assigning every reporter a “credibility score,” which he said was necessary as a result of reporters being “under constant pressure to get max clicks & earn advertising dollars or get fired.”

“Going to create a site where the public can rate the core truth of any article & track the credibility score over time of each journalist, editor & publication. Thinking of calling it Pravda,” he added. “Even if some of the public doesn’t care about the credibility score, the journalists, editors & publications will. It is how they define themselves.”

Even if some of the public doesn’t care about the credibility score, the journalists, editors & publications will. It is how they define themselves.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 23, 2018

This isn’t the first time Musk has lashed out at the media. Musk has blasted the press on earnings calls and chastised negative coverage of his company.

“Anytime anyone criticizes the media, the media shrieks ‘You’re just like [President] Trump!’ Why do you think he got elected in the first place? Because no ones believes you any more. You lost your credibility a long time ago,” he wrote to The Verge’s Andy Jayhawk.

Thought you’d say that. Anytime anyone criticizes the media, the media shrieks “You’re just like Trump!” Why do you think he got elected in the first place? Because no ones believes you any more. You lost your credibility a long time ago.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 23, 2018

Musk’s Twitter offensive comes after Reveal News reported that Tesla failed to report some of the company’s most serious injuries on required reports, thereby painting an inaccurate picture of workplace safety at Tesla factories.

“I know what can keep a person up at night regarding safety,” a former Tesla safety chief wrote to Musk, as reported by Reveal News. “I must tell you that I can’t sleep here at Tesla.”

Musk has denied the story and the claims made by former employees, calling them part of a “disinformation” campaign to spur unionization of his factories.

“We welcome constructive criticism, but those who care for journalistic integrity should strive for truth above all. Unfortunately, the writers at Reveal paint a completely false picture of Tesla and what it is actually like to work here,” the company said in a statement to Reveal.