(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) CNN panelists raged Monday night about a survey reporting that billionaire Elon Musk’s social media platform X is more ideologically balanced than it was as Twitter, bemoaning the survey as fake news—even after they learned CNN reported on the survey.
On NewsNight, political commentator Scott Jennings hit back at Amazon Prime Video show host Cari Champion for criticizing X as a Republican echo chamber.
“I heard what you’re saying about X. I saw a survey this week. It’s now the most ideologically balanced user platform of any platform,” he told Champion, who interjected immediately.
“Scott, stop! Stop! It’s too early. I just sat down,” she whined. “I’ve only been here for two minutes.”
Listen to the end of the clip lmao https://t.co/Tll2K9yk2G
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 26, 2024
Jennings told Champion she was “gonna be embarrassed” by the source of the survey he referenced, which prompted CNN panelist Ashley Allison and guest host Audie Cornish to chime in and ask, “Who’s the source?”
Jennings revealed CNN reported on the survey earlier, but Champion said, “it’s not accurate and you know it.”
CNN’s Harry Enten recently reported that under Musk, X has become more ideologically balanced as an equal number of Republicans and Democrats told a survey they use the platform for news.
CNN reports that X, under Elon Musk, is far more ideologically balanced than it was as Twitter. It looks like America! Making money, too.pic.twitter.com/13LTXRoYn6
— Byron York (@ByronYork) November 19, 2024
In 2024, survey data showed that 48% of Democrats and 47% of Republicans used X for news, compared to 65% of Democrats and 31% of Republicans in 2022.
Cornish interrupted to say that once Musk rebranded Twitter as X after his acquisition in 2022, major changes to the platform took place.
She pointed out that President-elect Donald Trump gave Musk a role in his incoming administration.
Trump partnered Musk with former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, another successful businessman, to head the new Department of Government Efficiency.
Cornish rerouted the discussion to Musk teasing a buyout of struggling MSNBC, which Comcast announced will soon be offloaded into a spinoff company, among other channels, and separated from NBC News.
She suggested billionaires buying mass media companies was dangerous.
Musk reposted the one-minute CNN clip, amused by the end when one panelist said former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates purchasing a media company would not be concerning because that billionaire “is sane.”
“Listen to the end of the clip lmao,” Musk wrote on X.
Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and The American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.
