X, Under Elon Musk’s Ownership, Launches Lawsuit Against Media Watchdog Over Defamation Claims

The social media platform formerly known as Twitter, now owned by Elon Musk, took legal action on Monday by filing a lawsuit against Media Matters, an organization focused on monitoring media, alleging defamation. The platform claimed that Media Matters engaged in smear tactics by publishing a report suggesting that major brands’ advertisements appeared alongside posts promoting Nazism.

Since the release of the Media Matters report last Thursday, the platform faced an escalating wave of criticism, prompting several major advertisers, including IBM and Comcast, to pull their ads from the platform in response.

Elon Musk announced on Saturday that the platform would pursue a “significant” lawsuit against Media Matters and others who participated in what he deemed a “misleading attack on our company.” Following Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion, a substantial number of advertisers opted to withdraw from the platform due to concerns about Musk’s provocative posts and his decision to lay off content moderation staff.

In response, Angelo Carusone, the president of Media Matters, dismissed the legal action as “baseless,” asserting that it seeks to “silence critics of Twitter.” Carusone maintained that “Media Matters stands by its reports and anticipates prevailing in court.”

Speaking to Reuters on Monday, Carusone argued that the nonprofit organization’s findings contradicted Twitter’s claims of implementing safety measures to prevent ads from appearing next to harmful content.

Linda Yaccarino, Twitter’s CEO, addressed employees in a memo, stating that “Data will reveal the true story” regarding the company’s endeavors to combat anti-Semitism and discrimination. This comes amid mounting dissatisfaction over the handling of these issues.

“While some advertisers may have temporarily paused their investments due to a deceptive and manipulated article, the data will unveil the genuine narrative,” Yaccarino emphasized, underscoring Twitter’s unequivocal commitment to combating anti-Semitism and discrimination.