Why the oligarch Elon Musk is a threat to independent media

 

Today the world’s richest man, mega-billionaire Elon Musk, was allowed to buy one of the most potent communication platforms on Earth used by hundreds of millions of people each day. As the writer Anand Giridharadas argued, Musk’s $44 billion purchase of Twitter "isn't just some corporate takeover." "This is about a set of very specific moves that our oligarchs have been taking that have gradually concentrated economic, political, and discursive power in fewer and fewer hands." And let’s be clear: an increasingly consolidated Internet is a direct threat to small, independent outlets like Common Dreams. This control squeezes our ability to survive in a media system focused on profits, mining the personal data of users, and increasingly controlled by oligarchs and corporate gatekeepers. If independent journalism is to survive and we are to win a better world, it’s not enough to simply shake our fists at the corporate behemoths and billionaire overlords like Musk. We have to fight back in order to build and sustain the alternative systems that give life to democracy and the progressive vision we cherish. So please join with us today to ensure independent outlets like Common Dreams remain strong in this battle for our future. Our Spring Campaign is underway and we must not fall short. If we don’t fight back, who will? DONATE In solidarity, Jon Queally Managing Editor for the whole Common Dreams news team PS: Common Dreams relies on its sustaining donors to keep us going full steam ahead. Will you become a monthly donor today? Common Dreams is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN: 20-3368194 Call 207.775.0488 to donate by phone or mail a check to: Common Dreams, PO Box 443, Portland, ME 04112, United States