Musk Targets Narativ: Government Official Shadow-Bans Journalism On His Platform
Elon Musk, now a government official, is actively suppressing my journalism.
After posting about being shadow-banned on X, Elon Musk has intensified the throttling of my content. This isn't just platform moderation—it's a government official systematically suppressing journalism critical of his actions and allies.
Latest Target: Canada-Related Content
My recent post about the Carney-Maxwell smear campaign and Russian disinformation targeting Canada has been severely throttled.
Meanwhile, an AI impersonator account falsely claiming to be me is calling for a quick Canadian election - something I've never advocated for.
The Statistical Impossibility
Analytics tell a story of systematic manipulation that defies normal platform behavior:
The Social Security Tweet Evidence
My recent post about Social Security shows clear evidence of manipulation at multiple stages:
First version:
107 impressions with 38 engagements (35.5% engagement rate)
Most critically: impression count remained frozen while engagement numbers increased - a technical impossibility
Later versions:
Engagement rates consistently remained around 15-16% as impressions increased to over 3,300.
Even as the post reached more viewers, the engagement rates stayed abnormally high
For context, normal engagement rates on X/Twitter typically range from 0.5-2%, with 5% considered excellent. Sustained rates above 15% are statistically improbable under normal platform operation.
This suggests artificial containment— my content reaches a highly engaged audience but is prevented from natural distribution that would typically follow high engagement.
Higher Engagement = More Throttling
My recent 2-week analytics show:
6.5% engagement rate
919.1K impressions
Zero follower growth
So far this week my engagement rate is 7.3%
My 1-year analytics show:
4.1% engagement rate
14.8M impressions
Still exactly 1,200 verified followers
The most damning evidence:
Despite generating 14.8 million impressions over an entire year with consistently strong engagement rates, my verified follower count remains frozen at exactly 1,200. My overall followers are frozen at 50,700. This defies all platform norms and statistical probability.
This reverses normal platform behavior. The higher recent engagement rate actually indicates more aggressive throttling, not better performance. Here's why:
My content is being restricted to a smaller, more engaged core audience (driving up the percentage).
The platform is preventing the natural audience expansion that should follow high engagement.
This creates artificially inflated engagement percentages while suppressing overall reach - a digital cul-de-sac if you will.
What's deeply concerning is that I’m seeing similar suppression starting to show here on Substack - which is backed by Andreessen Horowitz, a major funder of X and is implicated in the crypto conspiracy I’ve reported. Â
Beyond Personal Impact
This isn't about bruised egos or reduced traffic. Platform manipulation of this kind shapes public discourse by determining which information reaches audiences. It creates real-world consequences, from policy decisions affecting Ukraine to domestic rights. It establishes dangerous precedents for information control.
Constitutional Questions
And don't forget—Musk is now a government employee with his official role in the Department of Government Efficiency. A presidential advisor censoring journalism raises serious constitutional questions.
The last time my work was censored by a government official was in Apartheid South Africa.
I'm documenting all instances of throttling. If you've experienced similar patterns, especially related to reporting on Musk or Trump connections, I'd like to hear from you. Also if anything is revealing in the numbers you’re seeing please share.