Last Thursday, the Wall Street Journal published a report revealing that Marko Elez, a 25-year-old staffer in Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, had a history of posting racist and pro-eugenics content online. The backlash was swift, and Elez resigned from his position shortly after the story broke. However, the situation took an unexpected turn when Musk, seemingly unhappy with the outcome, decided to take matters into his own hands. On Friday morning, Musk conducted a poll on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) asking users whether Elez should be reinstated. The response was divided, but the incident gained even more traction when Vice President J.D. Vance publicly weighed in, urging Musk to bring Elez back. In the end, Musk complied, signaling his approval with an emoji.
While the controversy surrounding Elez’s resignation was unfolding, Musk simultaneously turned his attention to the journalist who had exposed the story. Katherine Long, the reporter from the Wall Street Journal responsible for the scoop, became the target of Musk’s ire on X. Musk attacked Long personally, describing her as “just plain cruel” and even suggested that her actions might be “improper, possibly criminal.” He referenced her past employment with U.S. AID, a government agency whose dismantling Musk had championed, though there is no evidence of any wrongdoing on Long’s part during her brief tenure there nearly a decade ago. These attacks were not only misplaced but also carried significant weight given Musk’s massive following on the platform.
The situation took a darker turn when an X user, @Anarseldain, posted a screenshot of an article written by someone named Katherine Long in 2021 about diversity in the video game industry. The user suggested that this was the same Katherine Long who had exposed Elez’s racist posts, implying that her advocacy for diversity in gaming proved her supposed “wokeness” and “cruelty.” Musk jumped on the bandwagon, tweeting in response, “She’s a disgusting and cruel person,” a post that was viewed over 2.2 million times. However, there was one critical flaw in this narrative: the Katherine Long who wrote about video game diversity is not the same woman who works at the Wall Street Journal. The mix-up between the two journalists, both coincidentally named Katherine Long, was a case of mistaken identity that spiraled out of control.
The confusion between the two Katherine Longs has had real-world consequences. The Katherine Long who wrote the diversity article for Paste Magazine in 2021 as a college student now works at Politico and has no connection to the Wall Street Journal or the story about Elez. Despite this, she became a target of hate mail and veiled threats following Musk’s attacks. Sources close to the matter confirmed that she faced significant harassment, much of which was visible on X as users tagged her in hostile posts. One user even wrote, “If there’s Karma you’ll get yours,” in a chilling example of the vitriol directed her way. Politico, where she currently works, declined to comment on the matter, but the incident highlights the dangers of online vigilantism and the ease with which misinformation can spread.
The role of X, now under Musk’s ownership, has been a focal point in this saga. The platform’s community notes feature, which allows users to add context and fact-checks, eventually clarified that the two Katherine Longs were different people—though this correction came a full five hours after Musk had already engaged with the inaccurate post. By then, the damage was done. @Anarseldain, whose bio on X reads “MAGA,” has not deleted their post, and Musk has similarly failed to acknowledge or retract his mistake. This lack of accountability underscores the broader issue of misinformation on the platform, which has run rampant under Musk’s leadership.
Musk’s handling of this situation is emblematic of a larger problem with X under his ownership. Since taking over Twitter in 2022, Musk has drastically reduced the platform’s staff, including employees tasked with combating misinformation. One of his key decisions was to monetize Twitter’s blue checkmarks, previously a symbol of credibility reserved for public figures and trusted sources, by turning them into a “pay-to-play” feature. This change has allowed users like @Anarseldain to buy a veneer of legitimacy, even as they spread false information. Musk himself has been a major contributor to the misinformation on the platform, having posted numerous false claims about the 2024 U.S. elections that garnered over 2 billion views. By tweaking the algorithm to favor conservative and far-right voices, including conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones, Musk has created an environment where misinformation thrives.
Rather than addressing these issues or correcting his own mistakes, Musk has doubled down. When criticized for his attacks on journalism and his role in spreading misinformation, he has dismissed video game journalism as “garbage” and called for new outlets, questioning the credibility of existing ones. These actions not only further polarize public discourse but also erode trust in journalism and the media as a whole. The incident involving Marko Elez and Katherine Long serves as a stark reminder of the challenges posed by social media platforms when they prioritize engagement over accuracy and accountability. As long as misinformation is allowed to spread unchecked, incidents like this will continue to undermine the integrity of public discourse and the safety of individuals caught in the crossfire.
