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| - In mid-October 2024, a post (archived) on Facebook page SpaceX Fanclub claimed Tesla owner Elon Musk was planning to acquire ABC to remove "wokeness" from the network and would fire its presidential debate moderators "immediately."
The post was shared hundreds of times and had amassed more than 6,000 reactions as of this writing.
(Facebook user "SpaceX Fanclub")
Many users in the comments appeared to believe the rumor was real, with one person writing: "Good! Mr Elon Musk, yes get rid of them."
However, the claim was not true. It originated from a page that is satirical in nature. SpaceX Fanclub's Facebook intro stated: "We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real." The above post also included a "RATED SATIRE" label in the top left.
SpaceX Fanclub shared an accompanying article in the comments section, which showed the claim originated from satirical website Esspots. The article stated:
In a move that has shocked media insiders and sent Twitter into a frenzy, Elon Musk is reportedly considering buying ABC, with one clear mission: to "set things straight." And in typical Musk fashion, his first order of business would be firing longtime ABC anchor David Muir, the face of World News Tonight. The decision, it seems, stems from Muir's role in the controversial presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, where Musk claims Muir "crossed the line" with his moderation tactics.
"ABC is broken. Journalism is broken. And who better to fix it than me?" Musk reportedly told close associates in a private conversation. "David Muir is just the beginning. ABC needs a reboot, and I'm ready to hit the reset button."
Esspots described its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, and part of the same network as the SpaceX Fanclub Facebook page. Esspots' "About Us" page stated:
Welcome to the US page of Esspots (A Subsidiary of SpaceXMania.com specializing in Satire and Parody News), your one-stop destination for satirical news and commentary about the United States of America. Our team of writers and editors is dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest in fake news and absurdity, all with a healthy dose of humor and satire.
Likewise, its disclaimer page stated:
Before you proceed to read our content, we would like to emphasize that nothing on this website is real. All of the articles, stories, and commentary found on Esspots.com are entirely fictitious and created for the purpose of entertainment only.
We understand that satire can sometimes be mistaken for actual news or events, but we want to make it clear that we do not publish factual or accurate information. We do not intend to deceive or mislead our readers in any way, and all of our content should be taken with a grain of salt.
There were also no examples of any reputable news outlets reporting that Musk was planning to buy ABC. If this was true, it would be eminently newsworthy.
The fictional story spread as Musk continued to support former U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
Snopes has addressed similar claims about Musk and ABC before, including the rumor the tech billionaire sued Whoopi Goldberg and "The View," that he planned to purchase ABC in order to cancel "The View" and that he purchased ABC and fired the cast of "The View."
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.
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