Elon Musk and His DOGEY Dealings

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It’s fair to say that stuff has happened since ~~Elon Musk~~ Donald Trump came to power on January 20. As James Ball pointed out on this week’s podcast episode, much of what is taking place is quite simply illegal, yet that is not coming through in the media coverage, certainly not enough.

I don’t particularly want to do the thing of going through New York Times (or any other publication’s) headlines. Suffice it to say that sometimes being explicit instead of obsessing over the process can really help make things clear to the public.

Even consistently referencing DOGE, the acronym of the agency through which Musk has gained access to government, is doing something of a disservice to viewers and readers. DOGE is an entirely made-up entity, a typically Muskian wind-up. He called it the Department of Government Efficiency so it could be abbreviated as DOGE, the same as the joke cryptocurrency.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the UK media is not really digging into the fundamentals of what is going across the Atlantic. To some extent, that is fair enough, given we have plenty going on here. But we need to learn lessons from what is happening in the US in case similar moves are made here. It hasn’t yet, but Musk has already expressed interest in supporting Nigel Farage’s Reform. We don’t know what that would look like, but it’s important to start asking the questions.

Tech Press Leading Elon Musk Reporting

One part of the media that is impressing in these opening, chaotic days of Trump 2.0 is the specialist tech press. In particular, publications that can explain tech in the wider context of politics and public policy. Wired and 404 are amongst those outlining the techno authoritarianism we are seeing in the US to great effect.

For example, Wired revealed details of the young engineers charging around government departments. 404 has details of a meeting in which, amongst other things, a Musk lieutenant was told his proposal was illegal and seemingly still continued to press the idea. This kind of work requires reporters who understand technology and have sources in that world. Conventional political reporters are not up to that particular task.

Another problem for journalists, whatever their beat, is that there is simply too much going on. From trade wars to Gaza plans and much more besides, the Trump administration is, intentionally or not, flooding the zone. It makes it harder to put out just how abnormal it all is. But that and the illegality has to be the starting point of reporting from now on.