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The Big Lies › 2023 › File PF-0222
Retracted

Musk Biography Excerpt: Musk Cut Starlink to Thwart a Ukrainian Attack

CNN reported, and The Washington Post published an excerpt saying, that Elon Musk secretly ordered Starlink switched off near Crimea to sabotage a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian fleet.

First reported Sep 7, 2023 · CNN, The Washington Post
Screenshot of the original report as published
Screenshot of the report as published: krdo.com. Tap to open the source.
Who it helped: Neither party

Cast Musk, by then a favorite of many conservatives, as having sabotaged Ukraine.

What was reported

CNN reported, and The Washington Post published an excerpt saying, that Elon Musk secretly ordered Starlink switched off near Crimea to sabotage a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian fleet.

What actually happened

The claim drew sharp criticism of Musk from Ukrainian officials and others. Musk said Starlink had never been active over Crimea and that he had refused a request to turn it on. Within days, author Walter Isaacson said he had been wrong: the no-Crimea policy was already in place, and Musk only declined to change it. The Post corrected its excerpt and CNN added an editor's note.

The proof

Isaacson's own public correction and the publisher's statement that future editions would be changed.

The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:

Musk Biography Excerpt: Musk Cut Starlink to Thwart a Ukrainian Attack — Retracted. Isaacson's own public correction and the publisher's statement that future editions would be changed. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/isaacson-musk-starlink-crimea-excerpt/

Original reporting

Corrections, findings & records

Archived copies

Stories get edited after publication. These open the Internet Archive's earliest saved copy of each original.

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