Let’s Dial Back the Elon Musk Coverage, OK?

Ding Ting/Xinhua via ZUMA

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Periodically the press anoints someone as worthy of nonstop coverage. Sarah Palin had that honor long after most losing VP candidates have drifted back into obscurity. (Quick: who was Hillary Clinton’s running mate?) Still, Palin was a former VP candidate. More recently Donald Trump has had that honor, which is arguably defensible since he’s the president of the United States.¹

But why Elon Musk? He doesn’t get Trumpesque coverage, but still, every single thing the guy does or says makes the news. Maybe not on the front page, but somewhere, and I don’t get it. He runs a couple of interesting little companies and he’s got a big mouth that writes checks his IQ usually can’t cash, but that’s about it. Is he really that fascinating?

¹Right? I have to rattle my brain a little bit every time I write that sentence.

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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