Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly known as Twitter), has always supported the idea that the best way to fight misinformation online is by letting the community correct false information instead of relying on fact-checkers. However, he now says that X’s Community Notes feature needs to be fixed after it presented information that he disagreed with.
Musk’s criticism came after Community Notes corrected posts claiming that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had low approval ratings. The correction, based on a recent survey, showed that most Ukrainians actually trust Zelenskyy. Musk dismissed the survey results and claimed, without providing proof, that Community Notes was being influenced by governments and traditional media.
Musk’s Changing Opinion on Community Notes
When Musk took over Twitter in 2022, he introduced Community Notes as a way for users to fact-check posts. The idea was that the community, rather than a small team of fact-checkers, could add extra information to posts that were misleading or false. He praised this system as the best way to ensure transparency and fairness.
However, his opinion seems to have changed. On Thursday, he posted that Community Notes was being “gamed by governments and legacy media” and needed to be fixed. He did not provide any evidence to support this claim.
What Led to Musk’s Reaction?
Musk’s frustration appears to have started after Community Notes added corrections to posts that claimed Zelenskyy was unpopular in Ukraine. The notes pointed to a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), which found that 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelenskyy, while 37% do not.
These findings contradicted statements made by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who claimed that Zelenskyy was deeply unpopular. Trump has been critical of Ukraine and has blamed the country for the war with Russia, even though Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The survey results did not fit the narrative that Musk and Trump seemed to support, which may explain why Musk reacted so strongly.
Musk’s Claims Against Zelenskyy
In his post, Musk argued that the survey could not be trusted because it was controlled by Zelenskyy. “It should be utterly obvious that a Zelensky-controlled poll about his OWN approval is not credible!!” he wrote. However, other independent surveys have shown similar results.
A research group that has studied Ukrainian public opinion since 2014 reported that 63% of Ukrainians approve of Zelenskyy’s performance. This was an increase from the previous year.
Despite these findings, Musk continued to insist that Zelenskyy is disliked by his people. He claimed that if Zelenskyy was truly popular, he would allow an election. However, under Ukraine’s constitution, elections cannot be held during wartime. Since Ukraine is still at war with Russia, elections have been postponed.
Musk further alleged that Zelenskyy had taken control of all Ukrainian media and canceled elections to stay in power. Again, he did not provide any evidence to support these claims.
The Bigger Political Picture
Musk’s comments come at a time when tensions between the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia are high. Recently, senior U.S. officials met with Russian leaders in Saudi Arabia to discuss possible peace talks. However, Ukraine and the European Union were not included in these discussions.
Trump has also pushed for Ukraine to hold new elections, despite the ongoing war. Zelenskyy has rejected this idea, saying that peace negotiations must include Ukraine’s representatives.
Musk’s involvement in political debates has been growing in recent years. He has voiced opinions on international conflicts, U.S. elections, and media credibility. His control over X, a major social media platform, gives him significant influence over public discussions.
Concerns Over Musk’s Influence
Musk’s ability to shape conversations on X has raised concerns among critics. While he has championed free speech, some argue that he uses his power to promote his own views while dismissing information that challenges his beliefs.
Community Notes was designed to be a neutral tool for correcting misinformation. However, Musk’s recent comments suggest that he is unhappy with the system when it does not align with his opinions.
His claim that governments and traditional media are manipulating Community Notes is serious. If true, it would mean that the feature is not as independent as he once claimed. However, without evidence, these statements remain controversial.
