A U.S. District Judge has ruled that Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) can move forward with its lawsuit against the leftist censorship organization Media Matters, setting a trial date for April 7, 2025.
The Independent reports that U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor has given the green light for Elon Musk’s X to proceed with its lawsuit against Media Matters, a left-wing blacklisting organization. The lawsuit, filed by X in November 2023, accuses Media Matters of sparking an advertiser exodus from the social media platform by publishing a misleading article that alleged X allowed top brands to display advertisements alongside antisemitic and pro-Nazi content.
The article in question, published by Media Matters, claimed that since Musk’s takeover of the platform in 2022, he has increasingly begun a “descent into white nationalist and antisemitic conspiracy theories.” The analysis further alleged that this shift in content moderation policies led to major brands’ advertisements appearing next to inflammatory content.
In response to the article, several high-profile brands, including Apple, IBM, and Disney, pulled their advertising from the platform. Musk, who recently endorsed Donald Trump in the presidential election, called Media Matters “pure evil” when the lawsuit was initially filed.
X’s lawsuit does not dispute the fact that some top brands’ ads were featured near the controversial content. However, it argues that Media Matters manipulated X’s system to produce highly unlikely ad pairings that are typically filtered out by the platform’s advertising tools. The lawsuit claims that one harmful match appeared for “only one viewer (out of more than 500 million) on all of X: Media Matters.”
Media Matters, in a statement to the Independent, maintained that its analysis of X and its content policies remains valid. The organization’s president, Angelo Carusone, called the lawsuit “frivolous” and “meant to bully X’s critics into silence.” He further stated that Media Matters stands behind its reporting and is confident in winning the case in court.
In a related development, Judge O’Connor dismissed Media Matters’ request to force Musk to list Tesla as an interested party in X’s lawsuit. The judge stated that there was no evidence to suggest that Tesla has a direct financial interest in the case’s outcome.
This lawsuit is not the only legal battle X is currently facing. In another case, X is suing GARM, a global advertising association and its member companies, including Unilever, Marks, and CVS Health. However, Judge O’Connor recused himself from that case, citing his financial investment in Unilever as the reason, according to Reuters.
With the trial set for April 7, 2025, both parties will have ample time to prepare their arguments and gather evidence to support their respective positions. As the legal battle unfolds, it will be closely watched by industry experts, advertisers, and free speech advocates alike, as it could set a significant precedent for the way social media platforms handle controversial content and their responsibilities towards advertisers and users.
Read more at the Independent here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
