Musk vs. Media Matters: Antisemitism allegations and an advertiser exodus
LONGWORTH:
ELON MUSK IS FACING ANTISEMITISM ALLEGATIONS AND HIS PLATFORM X HAS BLED ADVERTISERS FOLLOWING AN ONLINE INTERACTION AND A REPORT FROM A LIBERAL ADVOCACY GROUP. MUSK IS SUING FOR DEFAMATION.
LAST WEEK, AN X USER WROTE THAT JEWISH COMMUNITIES PROMOTE “HATRED AGAINST WHITES.” MUSK REPLIED WITH “YOU HAVE SAID THE ACTUAL TRUTH.”
THE NEXT DAY, THE PROGRESSIVE NONPROFIT MEDIA MATTERS PUBLISHED A REPORT BY ITS SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, ERIC HANANOKI. IT INCLUDES SCREENSHOTS OF ADS FOR IBM, ORACLE, XFINITY, APPLE AND BRAVO IMMEDIATELY ABOVE OR BELOW CONTENT TOUTING ADOLF HITLER AND THE NAZI PARTY.
IBM PULLED ITS ADVERTISING, AS DID COMCAST, APPLE, DISNEY, AND MORE.
MUSK POSTED THAT MEDIA MATTERS WAS ATTEMPTING TO “UNDERMINE FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MISLEAD ADVERTISERS.” HE ALSO RESPONDED TO ALLEGATIONS THAT HE’S ANTISEMITIC, WRITING “NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.”
MEDIA MATTERS’ CHAIRMAN AND PRESIDENT, ANGELO CARUSONE, SAID IN A STATEMENT: “MUSK IS A BULLY WHO THREATENS MERITLESS LAWSUITS IN AN ATTEMPT TO SILENCE REPORTING THAT EVEN HE CONFIRMED IS ACCURATE.”
X FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE NONPROFIT AND HANANOKI ON MONDAY.
THE COMPLAINT SAYS MEDIA MATTERS “MANIPULATED THE ALGORITHMS” TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN…ONLY FOLLOWING ACCOUNTS THAT POST “EXTREME, FRINGE CONTENT” AND THOSE RUN BY BIG NAME ADVERTISERS. IN DOING SO, THE SUIT CLAIMS, THE END RESULT WAS A FEED DESIGNED TO PLACE ADS SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH SUCH CONCERNING CONTENT.
MEDIA MATTERS CHARACTERIZES ITSELF AS A “PROGRESSIVE RESEARCH AND INFORMATION CENTER DEDICATED TO COMPREHENSIVELY MONITORING, ANALYZING, AND CORRECTING CONSERVATIVE MISINFORMATION IN THE U.S. MEDIA.”
THE SAME DAY, TEXAS REPUBLICAN ATTORNEY GENERAL KEN PAXTON ANNOUNCED HE’S INVESTIGATING MEDIA MATTERS FOR POTENTIAL FRAUDULENT ACTIVITY. WRITING, IN A STATEMENT:
“WE ARE EXAMINING THE ISSUE CLOSELY TO ENSURE THAT THE PUBLIC HAS NOT BEEN DECEIVED BY THE SCHEMES OF RADICAL LEFT-WING ORGANIZATIONS WHO WOULD LIKE NOTHING MORE THAN TO LIMIT FREEDOM BY REDUCING PARTICIPATION IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE.”
AS THE CONTROVERSY UNFOLDS IN BOTH LEGAL AND PUBLIC SPHERES, WE’LL CONTINUE TO REPORT ON THESE LEGAL BATTLES AND ADVERTISERS’ RELATIONSHIPS WITH X.