Tesla has made the extraordinary claim that two journalists have trespassed on its property and assaulted its staff.
Elon Musk’s electric car company has posted a blog entry on its website detailing an alleged assault on members of staff.
Apparently, last Friday morning, “a Tesla safety manager received a complaint about two trespassers taking pictures at the Gigafactory.” This is Tesla’s super-high-tech battery production factory, pictured above, which is currently under construction in Nevada.
The authorities were alerted, and the trespassers approached. Although they refused to supply their names, the Reno Gazette-Journal ID badges somewhat gave them away.
Having been met at their Jeep by another Tesla “safety manager,” the two journalists were asked to wait for the arrival of security management and the Sheriff’s Department.
The two swiftly hopped into their Jeep and allegedly reversed into a Tesla employee, “causing him to sustain a blow to the left hip, an approximate 2in bleeding laceration to his right forearm, a 3in bleeding laceration to his upper arm, and scrapes on both palms.”
On the way out, the Jeep also struck the safety managers’ ATV and struck another employee in the waist.
Presumably they didn’t get too far, because the Sheriff’s Department arrived on the scene and arrested one of the RGJ employees on “two counts of felony assault with a deadly weapon.” Both will be charged with trespassing.
Tesla claims that it has suffered “repeated acts of trespassing” at the Gigafactory site.
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Interestingly, the Reno Gazette Journal has presented a slightly different angle on the story. While partially confirming the story and naming the staff member arrested, the statement claims that “the newspaper’s vehicle was damaged in the altercation. A rock had been used to shatter the driver’s-side window and the driver’s-side seat belt had been cut in half.”
Needless to say, the incident is still under investigation by the authorities.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
