During an impromptu interview on Tuesday, Twitter CEO Elon Musk turned the tables on BBC reporter James Clayton, who appeared flustered and repeatedly requested to discuss a different topic when Musk redirected a question about COVID information. The interview covered various topics, including Musk’s acquisition of Twitter.
According to The Daily Wire, when asked about Twitter’s removal of “COVID misinformation labels,” Musk told Clayton that COVID is not a concern anymore. In response, Musk redirected the question.
“Does the BBC hold itself responsible for misinformation regarding masking and side effects of vaccinations and not reporting on that?” Musk asked.
In response, James Clayton hesitantly replied, “I don’t believe this is an interview about the BBC.” Elon Musk quickly responded with a quip, “Oh, you didn’t think it was?” Clayton reacted with a nervous laugh and clarified that he was not an official representative of the BBC’s editorial policy.
During the back-and-forth, Clayton noted that he had observed an increase in hateful content on Twitter following Elon Musk’s acquisition.
Musk inquired about a specific example of such content; Clayton appeared unsure and commented on the presence of comments that could be viewed as “somewhat racist or sexist.
“I don’t use that feed anymore because I don’t particularly like it,” Clayton stammered.
“You said you’ve seen more hateful content, but you can’t name a single example, not even one,” asserted Musk.
Despite this, Musk persisted in asking for a specific example, leading to Clayton’s frustration as he claimed they needed to make more progress. It proposed shifting the discussion to another topic.
“You just lied!” exclaimed Musk.
