Journalist Cathy Young Accuses Elon Musk of Lying Over CBS's X Advertising Status

Journalist Cathy Young publicly accused Elon Musk of "blatantly lying" about CBS's actions regarding its advertising on X, formerly Twitter. The sharp criticism, delivered via social media, centers on Musk's assertions that CBS misrepresented its advertising relationship with the platform. Young's tweet directly challenged Musk's narrative surrounding media companies' engagement with X.

The controversy ignited when reports surfaced indicating that CBS, alongside several other major media organizations, had decided to pause their advertising campaigns on X. In response, Elon Musk countered these reports by claiming that CBS had not been an active advertiser on the platform for a considerable duration. Musk's argument implied that CBS's announcement of "pausing" ads was disingenuous, as they had no active campaigns to halt.

"He also blatantly lies about what CBS did," Cathy Young stated in her social media post, directly refuting Musk's claims.

This dispute highlights ongoing tensions between X's leadership and traditional media outlets concerning content moderation, brand safety, and advertising transparency. Many companies reportedly paused advertising amidst concerns over content moderation policies and the proliferation of controversial material on the platform. The move was widely interpreted as a response to brand safety issues on X.

Cathy Young, a contributing editor for Reason magazine known for her critical commentary on media and social issues, weighed in to dispute Musk's characterization of the situation. Her intervention suggests a defense of CBS's integrity or an attempt to correct what she perceives as a false narrative propagated by Musk. The exchange underscores the volatile nature of public discourse on social media, particularly between prominent figures and media entities.