Elon Musk, the renowned entrepreneur and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, recently proclaimed Ron DeSantis’ glitchy presidential announcement on Twitter Spaces as the paramount news story worldwide on Wednesday. However, a comprehensive survey of global media coverage reveals that much of the world’s attention was captivated by the tragic passing of music icon Tina Turner.
A perusal of Thursday’s front pages of prominent print newspapers such as The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today indicates a conspicuous absence of substantial coverage or mention of DeSantis’ campaign launch. Instead, these reputable publications dedicated their headlines and significant space to extensive reporting on the untimely demise of Tina Turner.
The New York Times they relegated DeSantis’ event to a mere side column. At the same time, the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today omitted any reference to his campaign announcement from their front-page stories. These notable publications, recognized for their comprehensive global news coverage, evidently prioritized the news of Tina Turner’s passing over DeSantis’ political debut.
Outside the confines of Florida and political websites, the only noteworthy claim that could be made about DeSantis’ announcement garnering substantial attention is the New York Post’s joint-front page feature alongside coverage of Turner’s passing. Even in this case, it must be noted that the shared front-page coverage is specific to the readership of the New York Post and does not reflect the collective global media landscape.
Mixed Priorities in European Media Landscape
The significance of Ron DeSantis’ glitch-ridden presidential announcement on Twitter Spaces cannot be disregarded, considering the impressive audience of 600,000 listeners it attracted before the platform crashed. However, when such an event unfolds on the same day as the untimely death of a world-renowned singer, it becomes challenging to assert its status as the most consequential news story on Earth.
A closer examination of Europe’s front pages reveals a diverse range of priorities, with a strong focus on regional leaders and pressing global issues like the war in Ukraine, alongside extensive coverage of Tina Turner’s passing. While DeSantis may have garnered attention within certain circles, the collective European media landscape illustrates a broader spectrum of news coverage.
Turning our attention to the United Kingdom, where news outlets hold a distinct perspective, it becomes apparent that DeSantis’ campaign launch struggled to secure substantial prominence. Among Thursday’s 11 front pages, only one publication mentioned DeSantis, and even then, the miniature headline failed to reference Twitter as the platform for his announcement. The headline read, “Trump rails against ‘disloyal’ DeSantis.” This limited representation within the UK’s front-page coverage further diminishes any claim that DeSantis’ event dominated the global news landscape.
Influence of Elon Musk on Alternative Media and Public Attention
Considering Elon Musk’s frequent criticism of mainstream media outlets, it is plausible that his reference to DeSantis’ announcement as the “top story on Earth” may not be attributed to traditional print newspapers. Elon Musk’s inclination to challenge and critique established media institutions suggests that alternative channels, such as social media platforms or digital news sources, played a more influential role in disseminating the news and capturing public attention.
Despite claims of Ron DeSantis’ presidential announcement being the “top story on Earth,” a closer look at Google Trends reveals a surprising absence of DeSantis-related searches among the American public. In the United States, the dominant search trend revolved around the tragic passing of music legend Tina Turner, amassing a staggering 5 million searches. Following Turner’s prominence, searches related to rising Nvidia shares, a PlayStation showcase, and even Krispy Kreme donuts gained more traction. This suggests that DeSantis’ campaign launch failed to captivate the American audience or did not reach the top 20 most searched terms.
To gather more information and insights, Insider contacted Twitter, owned by Elon Musk for comment on the matter. However, the response received was an automated message that failed to address the specific inquiry, leaving the question of DeSantis’ actual prominence unanswered.