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** OPINION
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** The challenge of covering Elon Musk
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Elon Musk, shown here attending Donald Trump’s inauguration last month. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP)

Here’s what you need to know about media coverage of Elon Musk.

The New York Times published a big story on Musk on Monday with the headline: “Inside Musk’s Aggressive Incursion Into the Federal Government.” ([link removed])

As you surely know, Musk has had plenty of jobs on his way to becoming the richest person in the world. His main job these days, it would appear, is to be President Donald Trump’s right-hand man. So much so that there are whispers about who actually is running the country: Musk or Trump?

That’s probably overstating it, but put it this way: Musk might be one of the most powerful nonelected people this country has ever seen. And he certainly seems to have more authority and autonomy than anyone else under Trump.

The Times wrote in its story, “Empowered by President Trump, Mr. Musk is waging a largely unchecked war against the federal bureaucracy — one that has already had far-reaching consequences. Mr. Musk’s aggressive incursions into at least half a dozen government agencies have challenged congressional authority and potentially breached civil service protections.”

We’ve never seen anything like this because we’ve never really seen anyone like Musk. The media is still trying to get a handle on just how to cover this guy.

There are a million big news stories going on right now, including the plane crash in Washington, the tariffs, and confirmation hearings of controversial administration nominations, just to name a few.

And while those stories are critically important, there might be no bigger story in Washington right now than Musk taking a wrecking ball, machete and flame-thrower to the federal government.

What’s he doing? How is he doing it? What is happening? How did he get this job, exactly? What is that job?

Which brings me back to the Times story. It had a byline with six names: Jonathan Swan, Theodore Schleifer, Maggie Haberman, Kate Conger, Ryan Mac and Madeleine Ngo.

Now let’s go through what those reporters officially cover, according to their Times’ bios:
* Swan is a White House reporter.
* Schleifer covers billionaires and their impact on the world.
* Haberman is a White House correspondent, who I will add, specializes in covering Trump.
* Conger is based in San Francisco and covers Musk’s X and other technology companies.
* Mac is based in Los Angeles and covers corporate accountability across the global technology industry.
* Ngo is an economic policy reporter.

That’s six well-respected reporters — some of the best in the media industry — to write one story on everything Musk is doing. And it’s a good story, mostly because of their wide range of expertise suited to cover a man who has a wide range of jobs on his resume, from tech to transportation to, now, government.

Here’s another from CNN: “How Elon Musk set off two weeks of chaos across Washington.” ([link removed]) That story had five bylines, including Hadas Gold, who covers the media.

But how many news outlets can take six reporters or five reporters, all with various expertise in various fields, and dedicate them to one big story or subject?

And there is the challenge in covering Musk. Not many news outlets have those kinds of resources. And you need those kinds of resources to best cover what Musk is doing at this moment. It’s not mandatory to have all that to cover Musk effectively. But it sure helps because Musk has his fingers in so many pies.

I received several emails in the past few days from readers concerned that the media has not covered Musk enough in recent weeks. To that, I would say two things. One, I’m not 100% sure that is accurate, but I will add that the coverage has definitely picked up over the past few days. You’re seeing more and more.

But, two, if some news organizations are not covering Musk enough, it’s not a choice as much as it is they are still trying to figure out how and with whom.


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** Oh, one more thing …
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When it comes to covering Musk, I should mention this. In CNN’s “Reliable Sources” newsletter on Tuesday, Liam Reilly wrote:

We mentioned yesterday that WIRED's reporters have published scoop after scoop ([link removed]) about DOGE, Musk and his friends in the last few weeks. Their work has paid off, the publication says, in “a record-breaking increase in subscriptions” on Sunday, “with numbers soaring to ten times their usual rate.” The boost has been driven by politics coverage…


** A tough room
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Comedian and writer Amber Ruffin, shown here in October. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Comedian and writer Amber Ruffin has been chosen to headline this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner. Ruffin — an Emmy- and Tony-Award-nominated writer, comedian and author — is probably best known for NBC’s “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and CNN’s comedy news series, “Have I Got News For You.”

First off, God bless her and good luck. This surely is a nerve-wracking gig that can be a career-boosting moment if you do well, but a nightmare if you bungle it. But mostly, it’s not an easy room with all the political and media types.

Let’s say your jokes are good. That means it is going to do well with half the audience. But it likely will anger the other half, especially in these divisive and sensitive times. By the end of the night, if you spread your humor around, practically everyone in the room (and those watching at home) will have hurt feelings and bruised egos, and will be angry with you.

The big question is whether President Donald Trump will show up. Sitting presidents usually do — well, except for Trump, who did not go to the dinner during his first term. That’s not really that surprising. The president typically is on the receiving end of many of the jokes at the WHCA dinner, and Trump doesn’t have a sense of humor when he is teased.

You also wonder if some of the others in the Trumpverse, such as Elon Musk, will attend. Again, unlikely. In 2019, Trump even directed administration officials away from attending.

As I mentioned, it’s a tough gig, but a comedian really can’t turn it down because it’s high-profile and full of celebrities. So it’s a good invite for the talented Ruffin, who joins the list of previous WHCA dinner hosts such as Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O’Brien, Cecily Strong, Larry Wilmore, Hasan Minhaj, Trevor Noah and Colin Jost.

In a statement, WHCA president Eugene Daniels of Politico said, “When I began to think about what entertainer would be a perfect fit for the dinner this year, Amber was immediately at the top of my list. Amber’s unique talents are the ideal fit for this current political and cultural climate. Her perspective will fit right in with the dinner’s tradition of honoring the freedom of the press while roasting the most powerful people on all sides of the aisle and the journalists who cover them.”


** Not sorry
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Good journalism means never having to say you’re sorry.

The New York Times’ Michael M. Grynbaum and Benjamin Mullin report, “No Apology Over Trump Lawsuit, ‘60 Minutes’ Top Producer Says.” ([link removed])

That’s right. Bill Owens, the well-respected executive producer of CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” told staff he would not apologize in any possible settlement in the lawsuit that President Donald Trump has brought against CBS over last year’s interview with Kamala Harris.

Trump is suing because he believes “60 Minutes” deceptively edited its interview with Harris prior to the election. While many legal experts believe Trump doesn’t have a case, reports are ([link removed]) that CBS’s parent company, Paramount, has been in settlement talks with Trump.

But, according to the Times, Owens told staff, “There have been reports in the media about a settlement and/or apology. The company knows I will not apologize for anything we have done.”

It’s not unusual for networks to edit answers for time and clarity, just as it's not usual for print outlets to do the same. “60 Minutes” stands behind its journalism.

The Times wrote, “Journalists there believe a settlement would be an extraordinary capitulation because the editing of the Harris interview was in keeping with standard journalistic practice. In the prime-time version, Ms. Harris appeared to give an answer to one question that was different from the response she gave in a preview of the interview that aired the day before. CBS has said that Ms. Harris had given one lengthy answer and that it had chosen to air different portions at different times.”

According to the Times, Owens told staff, “The edit is perfectly fine; let’s put that to bed so we can get on with our lives.”

Meanwhile, here’s Dan Abrams and his take ([link removed]) on NewsNation.


** Media tidbits
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(Courtesy: CNN)
* Journalism making a difference. For CNN, Abeer Salman, Jomana Karadsheh and Tareq Al Hilou with “Toddler who has just days to live evacuated from Gaza for urgent medical care.” ([link removed])
* Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, with a guest essay in The New York Times: “These Settlements With Trump Are Weakening Press Freedoms.” ([link removed])
* Axios’ Sara Fischer with “PBS poll finds broad Trump voter support amid GOP defunding push.” ([link removed])
* The New York Times’ Lauren Hirsch and Sapna Maheshwari with “How a Sale of TikTok Would Work and Who Might Buy It.” ([link removed])
* The Columbia Journalism Review’s Jon Allsop with “Is Trump Flooding or Draining the Zone? Yes.” ([link removed])
* Mediaite’s Zachary Leeman with “Fox News Is Not Just Topping Cable Ratings, They’re Also Demolishing Competition On YouTube.” ([link removed])
* The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg with “How Emilia Perez Is Being Removed from the ‘Emilia Perez’ Oscar Campaign.” ([link removed])
* Washington Post sports media reporter Ben Strauss with “Nick Wright, Fox Sports star, keeps cashing in on his Chiefs obsession.” ([link removed])


** Hot type
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* Vanity Fair’s Savannah Walsh with “Jesse Eisenberg Unfriended Mark Zuckerberg a Long Time Ago.” ([link removed])
* Interesting sports story from The Athletic’s Brian Hamilton: “Five stars, seven figures, zero eligibility: Why are the Bewley twins still paying?” ([link removed])


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Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
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