Social media users have blasted CNN after the network issued a false report, claiming that hospitals in US state of California didn’t receive any ventilators promised by Tesla CEO Elon Musk at the end of March. The outlet cited the spokesperson for California’s governor, who provided the following statement:
"Elon Musk and his team told the state that he had procured ventilators and wanted to distribute them directly to hospitals with shortages. The Administration is communicating every day with hospitals across the state about their ventilator supply and to date we have not heard of any hospital system that has received a ventilator directly from Tesla or Musk".
Musk quickly took to Twitter to comment on the CNN report. He first posted correspondence between a Tesla employee and state official, who said that ventilators were being tested and would be put to use. And then posted a laudatory message from the CEO of Mammoth Hospital in California and photos of medical personnel thanking Tesla and Musk for the ventilators.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 16, 2020
https://t.co/OP6l8DBf7r https://t.co/hHLSZNUSMd
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 16, 2020
To top it off, the 48-year-old then lambasted CNN for its story writing:
What I find most surprising is that CNN still exists
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 16, 2020
Musk’s proof and comment caused a flood of angry comments towards CNN.
@CNN needs to be shutdown ASAP
— Aku-Steve (@AnozieUdemezue) April 16, 2020
CNN delivering the daily news pic.twitter.com/n8eCYhC5Zq
— Pastor Magana (@Taco_Magana) April 16, 2020
Users agreed with the tech maverick and branded the channel fake news.
@realDonaldTrump would agree. Fake news.
— Sean Koch (@sean_koch) April 16, 2020
The news reporting has moved away from reporting facts to selling opinion of the highest bidder.
— Vaibhav Singh (@vaibhav330) April 16, 2020
Others praised the way Musk dealt with the CNN report.
king!
— dani (@danielademk0) April 16, 2020
You dropped something @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/H64onLrRRa
— Bella (@bitcoinbella_) April 16, 2020
One user even reported the story as targeted harassment.
I've reported the CNN tweet for targeted harassment and all you people out there should report this too. I can't believe what i see.
— n0mad (@nopsledge) April 16, 2020
