Rachel Maddow Blasts Elon Musk's X for Misinformation Amid Israel-Hamas War

As tensions escalate in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Elon Musk’s rebranded social media platform, X (formerly known as Twitter), is facing heightened scrutiny over its role in propagating misinformation. A recent design change orchestrated by Musk, removed headlines from articles, leaving only images and a minor source credit. This shift has led to a barrage of criticism from users of the messaging platform, including MSNBC host and anchor Rachel Maddow.

On Monday, Maddow took to X to express her concerns, writing, “At an important time like this, having links just post as pictures makes twitter unusable – at a practical, fundamental level – as a place to share checkable information.”

Musk dismissed Maddow’s criticism, responding, “Your comedy is.”

This altercation between Maddow and Musk is a segment of a broader narrative surrounding X’s design change.

This was exemplified last week when Elon Musk and Chaya Raichik, owner of the controversial Libs of TikTok account on X, targeted transgender woman and Harvard Law instructor Alejandra Caraballo after she highlighted the platform’s flaw. A posted link by Caraballo misleadingly hinted at Musk’s arrest, which actually led to a CNBC article discussing the recent modifications on X, showcasing how the design change can mislead users.

Moreover, a popular account, @JUNlPER, showcased the flaw by posting a link to a Fortune article with a misleading claim about Musk, eventually leading to the account’s suspension.

Following these incidents, Musk and Raichik faced backlash after attacking Caraballoin a thread on X.

Adding fuel to the fire, the Washington Post reported that Musk personally recommended users to follow accounts known for promoting falsehoods amid the Israel-Hamas War. In a post to his 150 million followers on X, Musk suggested following @WarMonitors and @sentdefender for real-time updates on the war. This post quickly garnered 11 million views in three hours before being deleted by Musk. Both accounts have a history of spreading misinformation, with notable false claims of an explosion near the White House in May that momentarily affected the Dow Jones Industrial Average, according to the Post.

The ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza has become a litmus test for X, highlighting the platform’s challenges in managing misinformation. The recent interactions, including Maddow’s criticism, underline a growing concern regarding X’s new design, its implications on misinformation, and Musk’s handling of the situation, especially during critical geopolitical events.