Antisemitism: Elon Musk's X fires back at Media Matters with high-stakes lawsuit

Elon Musk's social media platform, X, has officially filed a lawsuit against Media Matters for America, a left-leaning advocacy group, following accusations of allowing antisemitic content alongside advertising. 

The legal action alleges that Media Matters deliberately "manipulated" data to harm the platform, formerly known as Twitter.

Media Matters recently claimed that X displayed ads alongside posts supporting Nazism, including quotes from Hitler and Holocaust denial. The lawsuit, filed in Texas, accuses the watchdog of creating misleading images to portray a false narrative about X and its advertisers. X contends that the advocacy group's strategy was to drive advertisers away and harm the platform.

In response to the legal threat, Elon Musk, founder of X, referred to Media Matters as a bully and vowed to pursue a "thermonuclear" lawsuit against the group and any collaborators in what he called a "fraudulent attack" on his company. 

Media Matters president Angelo Carusone maintained confidence in their position, labelling Musk a bully and asserting the accuracy of their reporting.

X specifically pointed out that ads for Comcast, Oracle, and IBM only appeared alongside hateful content for Media Matters, not for regular users of the platform. X's CEO, Linda Yaccarino, emphasised the truth, stating that authentic users did not witness the alleged juxtaposition of ads and offensive content.

The fallout from Media Matters' allegations has led to several major firms, including Apple, Disney, IBM, and Comcast, pausing their advertisements on X. Additionally, the European Commission and major entertainment companies like Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount, and Lionsgate have withdrawn ad dollars from the platform.

In a related development, Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation into Media Matters for potential fraudulent activity, echoing claims of a "radical anti-free speech organisation." Paxton aims to ensure that the public is not deceived by what he perceives as schemes by left-wing organisations.

As the legal battle intensifies, the White House announced President Joe Biden's intention to join Threads, a Meta-owned platform and X rival, creating accounts for the president, first lady, vice president, and second gentleman.