Irish Examiner view: Billionaires should not control the media

Whatever about the revolting prospect of Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk brawling in a cage fight, both are embroiled in rows which threaten to disrupt the role of independent media

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta banned news access on its platforms in Canada, while Elon Musk's Twitter (or X) is in a face-off with a news agency in France. Picture: Manu Fernandez/Stephan Savoia/AP

As Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk duck and weave about the pretty revolting prospect of them brawling in a cage fight, both men are at the centre of separate media rows which threaten the role of journalism in society and will promote the spread of misinformation.

Zukerberg’s Meta last week announced a ban on news access on its platforms in Canada and was stopping Facebook and Instagram users being able to source reliable journalism on those platforms.