Journalists shouldn't get a free pass simply by virtue of their profession, but neither should they be vilified for it.

I am not particularly familiar with this issue, but a google search turned up the following op-ed, written by Musk's ex-wife [1] :

    Still, there were warning signs. As we danced at our 
    wedding reception, Elon told me, "I am the alpha in this 
    relationship." I shrugged it off, just as I would later
    shrug off signing the postnuptial agreement, but as time 
    went on, I learned that he was serious. He had grown up 
    in the male-dominated culture of South Africa, and the 
    will to compete and dominate that made him so successful 
    in business did not magically shut off when he came 
    home. This, and the vast economic imbalance between us, 
    meant that in the months following our wedding, a 
    certain dynamic began to take hold. Elon's judgment 
    overruled mine, and he was constantly remarking on the 
    ways he found me lacking. 

    "I am your wife," I told him repeatedly, "not your employee."

    "If you were my employee," he said just as often, "I would fire you."