Multi-billionaire Elon Musk, who is currently leading the Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.), recently exposed how legacy media outlets “actually” function. Musk’s comment came in response to a lengthy thread on X from Captain John Konrad, who shed light on the current state of journalism and why it seems so uniform.
Konrad’s lengthy thread read in part, “Occasionally, a journalist oversteps. If it’s minor, it passes. If it’s major, the editor kills the piece, buries it on page 16, or reassigns it to a more trusted writer to “correct” the framing. Overstep too many times and your reassigned to local news or gently (it’s not your fault, we LOVE your spark, just downsizing) let go.”
He further explained the incentive structure for journalists. “Do a really good job sticking to the approved script you’ll get awards or book deals and travel assignments Nobody flatly says “this award isn’t for toeing the party line” because that would expose the scam No, these journalist are smart. They either pick up on the reward incentives or they are gently pushed aside,” he added.
Elon Musk replied to the post stating, “This how the legacy media actually works.” Musk has continually made critical remarks toward the legacy media, where The Tribune previously reported on a firestorm Elon incited by alleging “they lie about everything.” He said, “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?”
Other parts of Konrad’s insight thread pointed out that legacy media, such as the New York Times, is struggling to keep up with the dynamic nature of decentralized media on platforms such as X, where people are increasingly going to get their news. “I opened my NYTimes app today. They’re trying, but they can’t keep up. News that broke just hours ago is already off the homepage,” he said.
Konrad emphasized, “THIS IS CRUCIAL,” before adding, “The entire liberal deep state command and control system is broken.” The captain continued, “The NYTimes’ primary function isn’t journalism. It’s narrative coordination—setting the frame so the entire political-media machine knows how to think about an issue before it takes off.”
Building on this point, he added, “Ever notice how, overnight, everyone starts saying “Biden is sharp as a tack” or “JD Vance is weird”? It’s not random. It’s a system.” Konrad explained how the entire mainstream media ecosystem is influenced by the “Deep State” which curates the media to its desire. According to the captain, this why so many outlets sound like an echo chamber.
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“Suddenly, every news outlet, late-night host, and blue check is reinforcing the same message. And because they aren’t technically taking orders, they think it’s their own independent analysis. This is why the narrative feels so unified. No one’s forcing compliance—it’s a system that rewards alignment,” he said. However, Konrad concluded that Trump has ultimately broken this system.
Watch Schumer slam Musk’s DOGE below: