Elon Musk has not agreed to buy CNN for $3 billion

Social media posts claiming Elon Musk has agreed to buy the US news channel CNN for $3 billion are not true and originate from a satirical article.

A number of posts on Facebook and Threads have been shared with the caption: "Elon Musk Agrees to $3 Billion to Buy CNN. Elon Musk Reportedly Eyeing CNN Acquisition: ‘I’ll Fix the Media, One Network at a Time’”. The claim has also spread to X, which Mr Musk owns. 

But the claim actually stems from a satirical article published by a parody news website called SpaceXMania, dated 18 October 2024. The headline “Elon Musk Reportedly Eyeing CNN Acquisition: ‘I’ll Fix the Media, One Network at a Time’” is similar to many of the social media posts. However the article is clearly labelled as satire, and the website’s ‘about page’ also says it provides the “freshest fake news, some sassy analysis, and a good dose of satire” focused on Mr Musk. 

CNN also told Full Fact: “There is no truth in rumours of a sale or change in ownership of CNN whatsoever. Any statements to the contrary are completely false.” 

Likewise Mr Musk has not issued any statement about purchasing CNN and there is no evidence from credible news outlets that any such arrangement is on the cards. Full Fact has also contacted Mr Musk about the claim, and will update this article if we receive a response. 

Although some claims may seem obviously false, we may still fact check them because it may not be clear to everyone, particularly more casual internet users, that they are untrue. We’ve written about this in more detail on our blog.

We have previously fact checked a number of articles and quotes which were shared as if they were genuine, when they really came from satirical websites.

False information like this can spread quickly online—our toolkit provides tips for verifying this type of content yourself.