Media Matters sues to block FTC probe over alleged coordination against Elon Musk’s X

New Delhi: Media Matters for America, a Washington, DC-based liberal advocacy group, filed a lawsuit on Monday in federal court in Washington, DC, seeking to halt a US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation into whether the organisation coordinated with other media watchdogs to orchestrate advertiser boycotts of Elon Musk’s social media platform, X. 

The group claims the probe is a “campaign of retribution” by the Trump administration and Musk’s allies to punish its critical reporting on X, particularly a 2023 article highlighting ads from major brands like IBM, Apple, Oracle, and Comcast’s Xfinity appearing alongside extremist content, including posts promoting Adolf Hitler and Nazi ideology.

The FTC’s civil investigative demand, issued on May 20, 2025, seeks communications between Media Matters and groups like the World Federation of Advertisers’ Global Alliance for Responsible Media, as well as documents related to ongoing lawsuits between Media Matters and X. 

The probe, first reported by Reuters on May 22, marks an escalation in scrutiny over whether Media Matters influenced advertisers to pull funding from X following Musk’s 2022 acquisition of the platform, then known as Twitter.

In its lawsuit, Media Matters argued the FTC’s investigation violates its First Amendment rights by chilling its ability to report on Musk and X. The group claims the probe has already forced it to self-censor, draining resources and limiting its coverage of political extremism on the platform.

The legal battle stems from a 2023 X lawsuit against Media Matters, filed in Texas, accusing the group of defamation for its report on ad placements. Media Matters countersued, alleging Musk’s lawsuits in Texas, Ireland, and Singapore constitute “libel tourism” to silence critics. The group previously secured injunctions against similar investigations by Republican attorneys general in Texas and Missouri, with a federal appeals court in May 2025 ruling that Texas AG Ken Paxton’s probe was retaliatory.

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson has suggested advertiser boycotts may violate antitrust laws, framing them as threats to free speech online. However, Media Matters denies any coordination, asserting that advertisers independently chose to pause campaigns due to concerns over X’s content moderation post-Musk.