Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is once again shaking up the status quo, this time calling out the so-called “legacy media” for what he claims is a pervasive culture of dishonesty. In a fiery post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk declared, “Very common mistake to believe that the legacy media only lies about areas that you understand well. No, they lie about everything. What are the odds that they’d only lie about stuff you specifically know about?”

Musk’s remarks immediately ignited a wave of agreement from conservative users on his platform, with many echoing his sentiment and sharing their own grievances about media bias. This isn’t the first time Musk has taken aim at the mainstream media, but his latest broadside appears to have hit a nerve, sparking a robust discussion about the erosion of trust in traditional news outlets.

One popular X account, Autism Capital, introduced many readers to the concept of the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect, which brilliantly encapsulates the frustration many feel when engaging with the media. The phenomenon describes how a reader can spot glaring inaccuracies in articles about topics they know well but then unquestioningly trust the same publication when reading about unfamiliar subjects.

“The Gell-Mann Amnesia effect: You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well. You read the article and see the journalist has absolutely no understanding of either the facts or the issues… Then you turn the page to national or international affairs and read as if the rest of the newspaper was somehow more accurate,” Autism Capital wrote.

This insight resonated with many commenters who shared their own observations of media malpractice.

Other users argued that the media’s lies are often more sophisticated than outright falsehoods, with deliberate half-truths woven into their narratives to push particular agendas. “They don’t lie about EVERYTHING,” one commenter explained. “They lie about what is relevant for their agenda. It’s lies sprinkled in between some truth. And this is what makes them dangerous!”

This manipulation, many argue, is far more insidious because it gives the illusion of credibility while advancing biased narratives.

For many, Musk’s statement highlighted a decades-long erosion of trust in the media. One commenter recalled early examples of media deception, citing an infamous CNN stunt where two correspondents appeared to be reporting from opposite ends of the country—only for viewers to realize they were in the same parking lot.

“They’ve been lying for as long as I can remember,” the user wrote. “Early YouTube was filled with videos exposing blatant lies by the media. It’s nothing new, but it’s become more blatant.”

This isn’t the first time Musk has clashed with the media. Just before the 2024 election, he lambasted MSNBC for its biased coverage of President-elect Donald Trump’s rally, calling the network “utter scum of the Earth.”

As traditional media outlets face dwindling trust and rising competition from independent voices, Musk’s critique underscores a broader cultural shift. Americans are increasingly questioning the narratives they’re fed—and turning to platforms like X to challenge the status quo.

Musk’s words serve as both a wake-up call and a rallying cry for those demanding accountability from an institution many feel has long abandoned its responsibility to the truth.