There certainly seems to be a regrettable attempt to diminish the differences between this model and its predecessors in that case. With regard to the MCAS specifically, once the cause of the Lion Air crash was determined, the FAA issued a new Airworthiness Directive [1], and I would be surprised if this information was not sent to all operators globally.

For obvious reasons, pilots tend to take a keen interest in matters of aviation safety, so I wonder if this was not simply a repeat of the Lion Air crash (which, as I said elsewhere, might be even worse news for Boeing.)

[1] https://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgad.nsf...