NRT briefing
Explosive Elon Musk Film Hit With Shocking Censorship
Based on reporting by The Daily Beast.
The Brief
TikTok has "permanently suspended" the official account for the documentary "Musk," citing political content that violated its policies, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film's distributor, Bleecker Street, learned of the move on Friday afternoon and is appealing the decision. TikTok subsequently removed the entire page.
The nearly four-hour film, directed by Oscar winner Alex Gibney, chronicles Elon Musk's rise and political influence. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September and expanded to nearly 500 U.S. screens this weekend, earning an estimated $385,000.
Musk, 55, has called the documentary a "hit piece," and criticized Gibney on X as a "bitter old man" with "zero integrity." As of Monday, Musk had not seen the film, the Associated Press reported. TikTok, partly owned by Musk ally Larry Ellison, also rejected paid ads for the film, while YouTube and Meta initially did the same before reversing after backlash.
NRT commentary
How We See It
TikTok's permanent suspension of the documentary's account, along with its rejection of paid ads, raises concerns about politically motivated censorship. A platform that often allows content critical of conservatives may be shutting down a film that scrutinizes a prominent Trump ally, just as it expands theatrically. The timing suggests an attempt to limit the film's reach rather than enforce a consistent policy.
Meanwhile, Musk, who has called himself a "free speech absolutist," reportedly blocked ads for the film on his own platform X. This underscores a broader hypocrisy: both Big Tech and its loudest critics tend to abandon free speech principles when their interests are at stake. Ironically, the controversy may give the film more attention than any ad campaign could.
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