I'm sorry, you give too much credit to "standard newspapers."
They do very little fact checking, if any.
However, being well-established might make them an easier target for libel / defamation. That doesn't seem to scare them into better reporting, though.
That sentiment is popular, but I don't buy it. The original post made no effort (or, he told us about no efforts) to corroborate the anecdotes with Tesla or the people who performed the servicing. That is, he did no reporting. That story would not be run in the NY Times or Washington Post without doing that.
They do very little fact checking, if any.
However, being well-established might make them an easier target for libel / defamation. That doesn't seem to scare them into better reporting, though.