Elon Musk hit back at the media on Tuesday, one day after he was attacked by CNN and members of the establishment press for posting a satirical image mocking CNN’s Don Lemon.

As reported by Rebel News, Musk posted a doctored image of CNN’s Don Lemon that carried a satirical chyron reading, “Elon Musk could threaten free speech on Twitter by allowing people to speak freely.”

The meme, which can be traced way back to April when Musk announced his plan to buy Twitter, has been subject to censorship on Meta-owned platforms Facebook and Instagram, causing users to be hit with fact-check notices and removals at the time.

Members of the regime press were upset that Musk had the audacity to call them out on fearmongering over his decision to turn Twitter into a platform for free speech, with some insisting that the hyperbolic statement in the doctored image misrepresented their position.

Others claimed the satirical post was a form of disinformation and in violation of Musk’s own rules for the platform.

Following widespread condemnation of Musk by the regime media, Rebel News founder Ezra Levant shared a link to a Los Angeles Times article that read almost word-for-word to the meme Musk posted.

“Op-Ed: How Elon Musk’s plans for Twitter could threaten free speech,” wrote LA Times journalist Suzanne Nossel, who argued in the piece that Musk could threaten free speech by allowing free speech to reign on the platform.

In response to the piece, which I highlighted to Musk, the “Chief Twit” responded to say, “The reason satire about CNN proposing censorship of Twitter could so easily be construed as reality is because that is the prevailing sentiment of the media!”

“Satire reveals a deeper truth,” wrote Musk.

The reason satire about CNN proposing censorship of Twitter could so easily be construed as reality is because that is the prevailing sentiment of the media!

Satire is reveals a deeper truth.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 29, 2022

A meme shared by a Twitter user depicting grey NPCs with the text bubble, “This is extremely dangerous to our democracy” prompted Musk to reply, “That one was real too.”

That one was real too

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 29, 2022