Elon Musk criticises fact checkers and accuses them of ‘tyranny after Dick Smith complains about ABC RMIT fact check

The billionaire has hit out at ‘government fact-checkers’ after the RMIT ABC Fact Check unit published a controversial report about comments made by Dick Smith about nuclear energy.

Billionaire Elon Musk has condemned the work of fact checkers and accused them of “tyranny” after businessman Dick Smith claimed the RMIT ABC Fact Check unit published a report that is “full of lies” about nuclear energy.

Mr Smith said he will take defamation action against the ABC if the fact check is not corrected.

On Monday, Mr Musk responded to a Sky News Australia article shared on the social media platform he owns, X, formerly Twitter, that explained Mr Smith's disgust over a fact check about the Australian businessman’s comments relating to nuclear power.

Mr Musk replied to a post by US columnist Michael Shellenberger that said, “one of the government’s main fact-checker groups has been caught spreading misinformation about renewables and nuclear.”

Mr Musk replied, “Having government ‘fact-checkers’ is a giant leap in the direction of tyranny.”

Having government “fact-checkers” is a giant leap in the direction of tyranny!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 25, 2024

RMIT ABC Fact Check is jointly funded by the two taxpayer-funded organisations and is headed up by director Russell Skelton.

Mr Smith has accused the ABC fact-checking unit of running numerous “inaccuracies and misinformation” following his comments he made during a radio interview last week with 2GB host Ben Fordham.

During the interview, Mr Smith said: “No country has ever been able to run entirely on renewables – that’s impossible.”

He has demanded a “correction to the document” after ABC and the fact check unit published the report on its website last Friday and circulated it on social media.

“It’s damaging my credibility, and I’ve never had anything like this done to me before,” Mr Smith told The Australian.

“It basically makes out I’m a liar.

“The fact checkers are traitors to Australia.”

Dick Smith has accused the ABC of publishing ‘lies’ following his comments in favour of nuclear energy. Picture: Nikki Short

Mr Smith accused the ABC of quashing legitimate arguments in favour of nuclear energy after their fact check said, “Mr Smith’s statement doesn’t hold up.”

In the fact check, the University of NSW’s Dr Mark Diesendorf, an expert in energy policy, said, “Several countries (and Tasmania) already run their electricity systems on 100 per cent renewables.”

But Mr Smith, 80, refuted these comments and said he was referring to all forms of energy.

“From my experience with the ABC because they think they have to be left, they have to be against nuclear, all of my left friends are all against nuclear, it’s sort of like a religion with them,” he said.

“Electricity is about 25 per cent of our energy, so what this bloke is saying, he’s added in the word electricity, so what he’s looking at is 25 per cent of the energy, and it’s completely misleading.

“I’m not talking about the electricity system, I’m talking about the entire energy system, what about the other 75 per cent and that’s where I’m saying we have to look at nuclear.”

Entrepreneur Dick Smith says no country has ever run entirely on renewables.

But experts say and data shows there are four countries that rely on a combination of wind, water and solar for their power needs https://t.co/xmRVrrtEmx#RMITABCFactCheck

— ABC News (@abcnews) March 21, 2024

Despite Mr Smith’s complaints, an RMIT spokeswoman stood by its fact check.

“RMIT is committed to upholding the integrity of public information and stands by the accuracy of its work,” the spokeswoman said in a statement.

The Albanese government has legislated to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 and opposition leader Peter Dutton has advocated for nuclear.

In the RMIT ABC Fact Check, the report also quoted Stanford University Professor Mark Z. Jacobson, another energy expert, said California has “been running on more than 100 per cent wind, water, solar for 10 out of the last 11 days for between 0.25 and six hours per day.”

But Mr Smith said this too is misleading: “What they don’t say is that California is nuclear-powered, so it’s just completely dishonest.”

“So in other words, they are proving what I’m saying is correct.”

In the fact check report it states Nepal is one of four countries running entirely on wind, water and solar, but neglects to point out, Mr Smith said, that: “The diesel fumes in Kathmandu – you can hardly breathe – are using fossil fuels and 70 per cent of the power in Nepal is burning wood and it’s not renewable.”

Mr Smith also said the fact check that has marked at the top of the document, ‘Your inoculation against misinformation’ is “disgusting”.

“The first thing a journalist does is check their facts, and they didn’t even phone me,” he said.

“I’ve spoken to people at the ABC, and they’ve said Dick, ‘I support nuclear but if I mention that here I would have no career path’.

“When it comes to the ABC, when they are commenting on energy simply don’t believe them.

“I have absolutely no doubt we have to go to nuclear … the longer the ABC delays it, the worse it will get for our younger generations.”

Among those to be critical of the fact check includes Nationals Senator Matt Canavan who posted on X, formerly Twitter, following the publishing of the report.

Another fact check fail!@abcnews try to fact check Dick Smith's claim that no county can run on solar and wind by quoting an expert that says 4 counrties do.

Turns out all of them use hydro and barely any solar or wind 🤣🤣🤣

Well done fact checkers. Once again ... Whatever… https://t.co/pFAVsRQI0e

— Senator Matt Canavan (@mattjcan) March 22, 2024

The ABC did not respond to questions.