X’s amplification and elevation of Elon Musk since he bought Twitter has been reported before, but an AP team took a fresh and data-driven approach to document how Musk has wielded his power online to elevate far-right players across Europe.
With no prospect of help from X, AP’s data team worked with the data provider Bright Data to analyze tens of thousands of posts over three years across six European countries. The team mapped the frequency and impact of interactions involving Musk and others to help readers see the massive boosts that Musk’s attention meant.
Marshall Ritzel gave the presentation a creative boost by transforming photos of the far-right players into “baseball cards” to help readers see at a glance who they were and how they benefited by interacting with Musk. Kinetz, the lead writer on that story, teamed with Chen for a second piece on China’s worry and fascination with Musk’s Starlink satellite network, including work by academic researchers on how to hobble it.
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