OMISSION: Networks EXCLUDE Tesla Statement from Reports on Deadly Houston Crash

Jorge Bonilla
June 23rd, 2026 12:47 AM

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The Elitist Media have seized on a tragic car crash in order to continue to provide adverse coverage to Tesla and, by association, its CEO Elon Musk. Fueling the narrative on the network evening news: a major omission.

Watch each of the individual reports as aired, first on CBS:

CBS EVENING NEWS

6/22/26

6:38 PM

And to Texas now, where a speeding Tesla jumped the curb, slammed into a house and killed a woman inside. The man at the wheel survived, telling investigators that the car was in self-driving mode. Here is CBS's Jason Allen.

JASON ALLEN: At the end of a cul-de-sac in Katy, Texas, just outside Houston- a doorbell camera captured a Tesla crashing into a house at high speed. 76-year-old Martha Avila was standing in the front room. She was pronounced dead at the hospital. The Harris County Sheriff's Department says 44-year-old driver Michael Butler told them he had automated driving assistance engaged and failed to drive in a single lane, left the roadway and struck the residence. Law enforcement says they found no signs of intoxication. 

JENNIFER BARBOUR: And this is from the back…

ALLEN: Avila’s daughter Jennifer Barber took this video.

BARBOUR: She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

ALLEN: Speaking with our Houston station KHOU, she described the horror of seeing her mother.

BARBOUR: She was pinned against the wall, because he pushed her fridge, like, against her.

ALLEN: Tesla has not responded to CBS News’ multiple requests for comment. In a safety report, the company says Teslas in self-driving mode paired with a human’s quote: “active supervision” have fewer collisions per mile driven than the estimated U.S. vehicle averages. Even in automated driving mode, Tesla emphasizes drivers are responsible for being in control of the vehicle at all times. Unlike this driver in video captured on an Atlanta freeway last week.

MIKE NELSON: And when these systems are working it's almost impossible to pay attention the right way. It invites you to not pay attention.

Reporter: I don't know if it’s his fault or the car’s fault or, like, what really happened.

ALLEN: Jason Allen, CBS News, Dallas.

And on ABC:

ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT

6/22/26

6:42 PM 

DAVID MUIR: Now to the alarming video showing a Tesla crashing into a home outside Houston in Katy, Texas, killing a grandmother inside that home. Here's Matt Rivers.

MATT RIVERS: This is the moment a driver alleges he was using autopilot in a Tesla when the car smashed into a house outside of Houston, Texas, killing 76-year-old grandmother Martha Avila inside the home.

JUSTIN BARBOUR: I literally walked out of the room, went to my computer, and I heard the crash.

RIVERS: Avila's family, including her daughter and young grandchildren, also home. Miraculously, they were not injured. Tonight, the NHTSA launching a special investigation into the deadly crash. The agency's most in-depth and detailed level of inquiry. According to authorities, the driver said he was using Tesla's automated driving assistance system, or Driver Assist Mode, at the time of the crash. Police say the car was traveling at a high rate of speed. Moments before the crash, doorbell camera footage appears to show the Model 3 racing down a road through an intersection around 8:30 P.M. Friday before slamming into the house. Avila was transported by Life Flight to the hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased. The driver was also taken to the hospital. Authorities say he did not show signs of intoxication. 

David, Tesla did not respond to our request for comment. The company's website, though, says that Tesla's automated driver assistance programs do not make their cars fully capable of self-driving, and that drivers need to be attentive at all times. David.

MUIR: Matt Rivers on this tonight. Matt, thank you.

And, finally, on NBC:

NBC NIGHTLY NEWS

6/22/26

6:46 PM

TOM LLAMAS: We're back with some wild video of a Tesla crashing into a home and killing a woman inside. The driver says the car was in assisted driving mode when it happened. Aaron Gilchrist on the investigation tonight.

AARON GILCHRIST: Tonight, this fatal Tesla crash now the focus of a federal traffic safety investigation. A doorbell camera capturing the moments before a Tesla Model 3 slams into a home in Katy, Texas. Police say 76-year-old Martha Avila was standing in her front room when the accident happened.

JENNIFER BARBOUR: That's where my mom was.

GILCHRIST: Avila flown to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

BARBOUR: This is how it came in.

GILCHRIST: Her family sharing videos from inside the home on Facebook, showing the devastation left behind.

BARBOUR: This is the room where they play and they do homework. Everything. Everything got damaged.

GILCHRIST: The driver, Michael Butler, told authorities he was using an automated driving assistance system but it's not clear which specific feature was on.

SGT. ALEX TURMAN, HCSO: We're still evaluating what caused that car to fail to control its speed just before this crash.

GILCHRIST: Tesla hasn't responded to NBC News' request for comment. The Model 3 comes equipped with traffic-aware cruise control, which maintains a set driving speed and following distance. Drivers can also subscribe to Full Self-Driving mode that has an automated stopping and turning feature. Both modes are intended for use by a fully attentive driver, according to Tesla’s website. Butler has not been charged as the investigation continues. Aaron Gilchrist, NBC News. 

Each of these reports echo similar themes. Fatal car crash into a Texas home, driver claims the Tesla was on “autopilot” (per ABC), a federal investigation is underway, law enforcement and family remarks, and perhaps a warning about assisted driving. Each of the reports made sure to close by mentioning that Tesla did not respond to comment requests. 

But what if Tesla leadership made statements on the record and the networks didn’t carry them? That’s exactly what happened, as Tesla’s head of AI and Elon Musk both commented on the crash. And in that exchange, a MAJOR piece of evidence critical to the story:

Ashok Elluswamy’s post was published at 5:18 PM, well before the evening news went on the air. At a bare minimum, the anchors could have referenced the statement at the end of the reports. 

So why leave that out? Why press ahead with an insinuation of driver-assist failure when the vehicle logs seem to indicate human error? Reasonable individuals can review the body of coverage accorded to anything related to Elon Musk over the last couple of years and conclude that this is the latest instance in a long string of Elon hate. 

Coverage has been singularly one-sided against Musk, as demonstrated by the Nazi Salute Hoax, coverage of DOGE, reluctant coverage of the targeted attacks against Tesla service centers, and incessant handwringing over Musk’s compensation subsequent to the SpaceX IPO. It’s been that way since Musk purchased Twitter, and it hasn’t stopped.

Omission of narrative-busting evidence ahead of a big anti-Tesla story isn’t some outlying event. Unfortunately, it’s par for the course- proof evident that Elon Derangement Syndrome is alive and well among the Elitist Media.

 

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