Elon Musk’s X/Twitter has filed a lawsuit against Media Matters over its efforts to link ad placements on the platform to neo-Nazi content, a strategy the far-left nonprofit has used in the past to trigger ad boycotts against conservative media companies.
In a case filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, X/Twitter accuses Media Matters of distorting the likelihood of ads appearing next to alleged hate speech on the platform.
Elon Musk’s X logo for the former Twitter (Anadolu Agency/Getty)
“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-nationalist fringe content and then portrayed these manufactured images as if they were what typical X users experience on the platform,” says X in its complaint.
“Media Matters designed both these images and its resulting media strategy to drive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp.”
In a post on X/Twitter, CEO Linda Yaccarino said that “not a single authentic user” saw ads from IBM, Comcast, or Oracle next to the content identified by Media Matters, and only two users saw Apple’s ads next to the content, “at least one of which was Media Matters.”
“Data wins over manipulation or allegations,” said Yaccarino. “Don’t be manipulated. Stand with X.”
If you know me, you know I’m committed to truth and fairness. Here’s the truth. Not a single authentic user on X saw IBM’s, Comcast’s, or Oracle’s ads next to the content in Media Matters’ article. Only 2 users saw Apple’s ad next to the content, at least one of which was Media…
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) November 20, 2023
On the same day that X filed its lawsuit against Media Matters, the attorney general of Texas, Ken Paxton, launched an investigation into the far-left nonprofit over potential fraudulent activity. Missouri attorney general Andrew Bailey has also indicated interest in the case.
Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. He is the author of #DELETED: Big Tech’s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal The Election.