Due to Media Matters ‘ research that revealed advertisements on the social network appearing next to antisemitic content, X filed a lawsuit against the anti-censorship organization. Following an advertiser exodus late last week, the company’s owner, Elon Musk, pledged to bring a” thermonuclear lawsuit” against the business. Media Matters “knowingly and maliciously manufactured side-by-side images depicting advertisers ‘ posts on X Corp.’s social media platform beside Neo-Nazi and white national fringe content,” the company claimed in its complaint. The group also claimed that they presented the “manufactured images” as if they were representative of the platform’s typical user experience. According to the company,” Media Matters created both these images and the ensuing media strategy to expel advertisers from the platform and dismantle X Corp.”
However, Media Matters did n’t exactly “manufacture” the images it used in its research, as TechCrunch points out. According to X’s own investigation, which was detailed in its lawsuit, the company followed the biggest advertisers on the platform and a group of users known to produce “extreme, fringe content” by using an account older than 30 days. In order to produce “between 13 and 15 times more advertisements per hour than viewed by the average X user,” the group allegedly continued scrolling and refreshing its feed. The watchdog, according to X, offered no context for the “forced, inauthentic nature” of the advertisements it observed. Additionally, it was unclear why these accounts—known for producing “extreme, fringe content “—were monetized.
Not a single real user on X, according to Linda Yaccarino, in response to Media Matters ‘ research,” saw IBM, Comcast, or Oracle’s ads next to the content in the article.” Only two users, at least one of whom was Media Matters, saw Apple’s advertisement next to the content, she continued. Angelo Carusone, the head of Media Matters, however, retweeted several posts from users who appeared to be real and displayed advertisements for terms like “killjews” and” HeilHitler.” A spokesperson for the company informed Engadget that the lawsuit was frivolous and intended to intimidate X’s detractors into silence when we contacted them about it. Media Matters defends its reporting and anticipates succeeding in court.
In addition to X’s lawsuit, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is looking into Media Matters. According to Paxton, his office is investigating any potential fraudulent activity at Media Matters, which he referred to as” a radical anti-free speech” organization. In order 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 public square,” he stated that an investigation into the watchdog is being conducted.
Following a tweet from X owner Elon Musk claiming that Jews pushed “hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them,” the media watchdog released its findings. ” You have said the actual truth,” Musk penned. Following the incidents, a number of well-known advertisers, including IBM, Apple, Disney, Paramount, and Comcast, removed their campaigns from the platform. Lionsgate, meanwhile, specifically cited Elon’s tweet as the justification for removing its advertisements.