Writers Guild Warns of Billionaire Media Control as ‘Musk’ Documentary Faces Alleged Censorship Campaign

The Writers Guild of America East and West issued a joint statement on Saturday, warning against billionaire media control as the newly released documentary "Musk" allegedly faced a "overt censorship campaign by tech platforms." The statement defended the project, stating it was an "in-depth examination of Elon Musk based on his own words and firsthand accounts of his actions," and praised the actors involved, Alex Gibney and Michael J. Palmer.

However, the guild alleged that "MUSK" was subject to censorship hurdles from tech platforms, including TikTok, which restricted advertising for the film. TikTok's notification came the week prior to the film's release and was only rescinded after the opening weekend. The statement emphasized that TikTok, controlled in the U.S. by Larry Ellison, benefited significantly from financial backing from David Ellison's Paramount-Warner Bros. merger into Skydance Media, which holds the broadcast and streaming rights to "MUSK."

The guild also highlighted the alarming concentration of media control in the hands of a few billionaires, an issue first raised when the guild sought legal action against the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. They emphasized that this unchecked concentration over our news and media threatens democratic discourse. The guild urged policymakers, elected leaders, and federal and state regulators to enforce antitrust laws designed to prevent this malignant concentration and control.