After a devastating advertiser exodus last week involving some of the world’s largest media companies, X owner Elon Musk is suing the progressive watchdog group Media Matters over its analysis highlighting antisemitic and pro-Nazi content on X — a report that appeared to play a significant role in the massive and highly damaging brand revolt.
The lawsuit filed Monday accuses Media Matters of distorting how likely it is for ads to appear beside extremist content on X, alleging that the group’s testing methodology was not representative of how real users experience the site.
“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,” the complaint filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas said. “Media Matters designed both these images and its resulting media strategy to drive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp.”
And I don’t disagree with you one bit there. But Texas’ anti-SLAPP law is the Texas Citizens Participation Act and it used to be one of the strongest in the country. In 2019, it was modified by the Texas Assembly to introduce a lot of gray area and weaken it considerably.
So I don’t disagree with the assertion that this is absolutely frivolous. But Texas’ current laws on the book are likely to give Musk enough room to avoid challenges on that aspect.
Oh no doubt, that’s the point. To sow doubt on that whole process.
Oh yeah, the notion that they’re indicating that Apple pulled their revenue because of “THIS REPORT” is just them grasping. But Musk is absolutely banking that IBM and Apple won’t file brief with the Judge to provide more motivation to stick to the broad questions put forward by Media Matters. Business wise, this case isn’t bringing dollars back to the platform, it is just being vindictive. Musk had his feels hurt and now he wants to hurt something else.
I’m going to guess that one. Just the way Musk’s been talking about this case, it feels like this one got deep under his skin.