X sues Media Matters after report about ads containing pro-Nazi content

After Elon Musk threatened with a “thermonuclear demand”against Media Matters Friday, his company X (formerly Twitter) sued the media watchdog group for defamation on Monday, alleging that the nonprofit organization “maliciously” attempted to scare away advertisers after it published a report about ads appearing next to posts with anti-Semitic rhetoric.

“Media Matters designed these images and its resulting media strategy to drive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp.,” X alleged in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Nevada, according to Bloomberg.

Last week, after Musk wrote “You spoke the real truth” in response to a post by an study displaying advertisements from major companies along with publications with neo-Nazi content. The report It triggered an exodus of advertisers. from platforms including Apple, Disney, IBM, Sony, Paramount and Warner Brothers.

The White House later it crashed Musk for endorsing an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. “It is unacceptable to repeat the horrible lie behind the most fatal act of Antisemitism in American history at any time, let alone a month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” said White House spokesman Andrew Bates. said in a statementadding that the White House “condemns[s] “This abhorrent promotion of anti-Semitic and racist hatred in the strongest terms, which goes against our fundamental values ​​as Americans.”

The billionaire has repeatedly denied that he is anti-Semitic, saying in a mail responding to the ADL that it is “in favor of free speech, but against anti-Semitism of any kind.” X CEO Linda Yaccarino has tried play damage controlassuring advertisers and users that the platform does not tolerate hate speech against Jews or any other minority, stating in a tweet on November 16. His verbiage drew harsh criticism online, and one X user asking“[H]How many times are you going to try to run jams to [Musk] So before I just quit?