Musk Targets Australian fact checkers on nuclear claims: Are we heading towards tyranny?
The issue has garnered global interest following a scenario where an Australian entrepreneur faced public broadcaster scrutiny for his advocacy of nuclear energy.
Billionaire Elon Musk criticized government fact-checkers as a “giant leap in the direction of tyranny.”
Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), engaged in the topic after U.S. eco-modernist Michael Schellenberger spoke out about the issue.
In response, Elon Musk tweeted, “Having government ‘fact-checkers’ is a giant leap in the direction of tyranny.”
The RMIT ABC Fact Check unit evaluates the “accuracy of claims made by politicians, public figures, advocacy groups, and institutions participating in the public discourse.”
“The assertion by the CSIRO [research organization] that a nation can operate entirely on solar and wind is false,” he remarked.
“No country to date has been able to sustain itself solely on renewables; it’s unattainable.”
They provided documentation from Stanford University Professor Mark Jacobson, showing that four countries—Albania, Bhutan, Nepal, and Paraguay—run entirely on wind, water, and solar energy.
“Currently, four countries solely rely on wind, water, and solar (WWS) for their electrical grid,” explained Mr. Jacobson.
‘Damaging My Credibility’: Dick Smith
In response, Mr. Smith demanded that the ABC rectify the record, indicating that it paints him as dishonest.
Nationals Senator Matt Canavan labeled the situation as another “fact check fail” in a post on X on March 22.
“Great job, fact checkers. Typically, whatever you assert, the truth tends to be the opposite,” he commented.