A security guard holds open the doors of Twitter HQ as a man enters carrying a sink. The man is none other than the new self-described "Chief Twit" Elon Musk. A video was posted onto Twitter with the caption "Entering Twitter HQ - let that sink in!"

Elon Musk has now concluded a $44bn (£38bn) deal which gives him control of Twitter. His main goal for the site? To promote freedom of speech, he says. 

Musk describes himself as a "free speech absolutistBelieving that one idea or one ruler is much better than any others. ". "Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy," he said in a statement. "And Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated." 

The vast majority agree: having a free press is key to a functioning democracy. The novelist George OrwellReal name Eric Arthur Blair, a world-renowned 20th-century novelist, most famous for his political novels Animal Farm and 1984. once said that "freedom of the Press, if it means anything at all, means the freedom to criticise and oppose". 

His meaning was clear: the press plays the role of opposition to the government and should be free to point out the flaws in the plans of our leaders, even if these views are unpalatableUnpleasant or difficult to accept.. Today, supporters of Musk use Orwell's writing to hail his plans to bring back banned figures such as Donald Trump to the site. 

But is a free press ever really free? "When multi-billionaires take control of our most vital platforms for communication, it's not a win for free speech," declared former US politician Robert ReichThe US Secretary of Labor from 1993 to 1997. last month. "It's a win for oligarchyA system of government in which a small elite rules.." 

Musk is the richest person in the world, the son of a former emerald mine owner and founder of global companies Tesla, SpaceX and PayPal. Now his purchase of Twitter has sparked a debate on media ownership. 

The Russian revolutionary Vladimir LeninA Russian communist revolutionary and first head of the Soviet Union who rose to prominence during Russia's 1917 revolution. saw the privately owned press not so much as a tool for freedom but as a tool of the rich to trick the poor. "Freedom of the press in bourgeoisA social class, roughly equivalent to the upper or upper middle class. society means freedom for the rich systematically, unremittinglyNever stopping or slowing down. , daily, in millions of copies, to deceive, corrupt and fool the exploited and oppressed mass of the people, the poor." 

Traditional media outlets such as newspapers have long since come under fire because of their ownership. In fact, just four people own the vast majority of the news consumed in Britain. Many believe that by owning news outlets, billionaires have huge political power without ever having to be elected.

Is there an alternative to a privately owned media? The BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is the UK's national broadcaster. is the world's largest broadcast news organisation. Although state owned, it is subject to strict impartialityEqual treatment of all sides of a debate or argument. guidelines.

But few news organisations are immune to accusations of bias. The British government has the power to advise the king on whom to appoint as BBC chairman. And the current chairman, Richard Sharp, is the former boss of new Conservative prime minister Rishi Sunak.

For now, the future of Twitter, with its 238 million active daily users, is unclear. Since news of the takeover came out, reports of racist language on the site have increased by 500%.¹ Musk insists that Twitter will not be a free-for-all.² But others question whether he can be trusted to use his platform fairly.

Yes: The majority of the media is owned by individuals or businesses. The press is free because it can say whatever it wants. The alternative is state owned media, which could be used as a tool for propagandaInformation, which may be biased or misleading, used to promote a certain viewpoint. .

No: The so-called free press is actually owned by a small group of very rich men who use it to pursue their own political ambitions with very little accountability. A truly free press would be democratically owned.

Or... The press is free but that does not mean it always uses that freedom for good. A free press must still have rules to ensure it works for the public good.