Media watchdog group Media Matters blamed social media platform X of placing adverts from large corporations next to neo-Nazi and white nationalist content.
Over the weekend, X owner Elon Musk threatened to file a “thermonuclear” lawsuit against Media Matters and anyone “who colluded in this fraudulent attack on our company.”
In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Texas on Monday, X accused Media Matters of manipulating the site’s algorithm to “drive advertisers off the platform and destroy X Corp.”
According to the lawsuit, Media Matters “maliciously” depicted ads appearing alongside neo-Nazi and white nationalist content as typical, when in fact it was exclusively following certain accounts and “endlessly” updating the feed to create the desired content.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that his office is investigating Media Matters for “potential fraudulent activity.”
Following a report released by Media Matters last week, many advertisers have abandoned X, formerly Twitter. The report found that ads from major brands, including Apple, Disney, IBM, Lions Gate Entertainment, and Oracle, were being placed next to content that “touts Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party.”
The advertiser exodus also comes amid controversy over Musk’s endorsement last week of a post accusing Jewish people of inciting hatred against whites and supporting immigration by “hordes of minorities.” Musk’s comment that the post was the “actual truth” sparked a flurry of criticism, including from the White House, which condemned it as “abhorrent promotion of anti-Semitic and racist hate.”
X CEO Linda Yaccarino claimed on Monday that “not a single authentic user” on X had seen the advert next to the content referenced by Media Matters.
Don’t be manipulated. Stand with X.
Musk, who bought Twitter for $44 billion last year, stated that fraud carried both criminal and civil penalties after previously calling Media Matters, founded by Democrat David Brock in 2004, “pure evil.”
Media Matters’ president and CEO, Angelo Carusone, claimed in a post on X that the “frivolous lawsuit” was aimed at silencing critics of the platform.
Media Matters stands behind its reporting and look forward to winning in court. Onward!
