Media Matter challenges FTC probe on Elon Musk's X boycott claims
Media Matters has denied defaming X and filed its own lawsuit against the company earlier this year, alleging that Musk is using frivolous, multi-jurisdictional lawsuits to suppress criticism.
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Media watchdog Media Matters for America filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking to halt a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation that it claims is politically motivated retaliation for the group's reporting on Elon Musk and his platform, X, as per media reports.
The Washington, D.C.,-based advocacy group has asked a federal court to block the FTC's sweeping demands for internal communications and documents.
The regulator is investigating whether Media Matters coordinated advertising boycotts with other groups that monitor misinformation and hate speech - particularly in relation to X, which has been under scrutiny for hosting extremist content since Musk acquired it in 2022, the report added.
Media Matters denounced the probe as an unconstitutional attempt to silence the organization. "The Court should put an end to the latest effort by the Trump Administration and Elon Musk's government allies to punish, intimidate, and harass Media Matters for publishing report they do not like," the group said in its filing, the report added.
The FTC inquiry, first reported by Reuters in May, marks a significant escalation in government scrutiny into potential ad boycott coordination. The watchdog argues there is no factual or legal basis for the FTC's investigation and that the demands have chilled its ability to report on both the agency and Musk.
The watchdog is already embroiled in legal battles with X, which sued Media Matters in 2023 after it published an investigation claiming ads for major brands - including IBM, Apple, Oracle, and Comcast’s Xfinity - had appeared next to pro-Nazi and extremist content on the platform, the report added.
Media Matters has denied defaming X and filed its own lawsuit against the company earlier this year, alleging that Musk is using frivolous, multi-jurisdictional lawsuits to suppress criticism.
The watchdog also referenced similar actions by Republican attorneys general in Texas and Missouri, which courts previously blocked, arguing that the FTC’s current probe is part of a broader campaign to target dissenting voices critical of Musk and aligned political interests.
