Elon Musk lashed out at big advertisers and media watchdog group Media Matters on Friday after several major brands decided to halt spending on X, the social media platform he owns and runs as CTO.
Musk wrote Late Friday night, “The divided second court will open on Monday, X Corp will file a thermonuclear lawsuit against Media Matters and all those involved in this fraudulent attack on our company.” “Their board, their donors, their network of dark money, all of them…” and “the search and gathering will be a sight to behold,” he said in subsequent tweets.
Media Matters for America (MMFA) published a report last week finding that ads from mainstream brands on X, formerly Twitter, were running alongside user posts supporting pro-Nazi views. The report came after Musk personally posted a series of tweets that the White House called “disgusting propaganda of anti-Semitism and racist hatred.”
In response, advertisers, including Apple, Comcast/NBC Universal (parent of CNBC.com), disney, IBM, Lions Gate, Paramount GlobalAnd warner bros discoveryThen the social media platform formerly known as Twitter decided to pause its ad spending, at least temporarily.
Musk advocated for a paid, ad-free subscription version of X in a tweet after news of the suspended campaigns emerged. he has written, “Premium+ also has no ads in your timeline. Many of the largest advertisers are the biggest oppressors of your right to free speech.” He did not specify which large advertisers he considered “oppressors”.
X spokesperson Joe Benaroch emailed company blog post CNBC alleges that Media Matters has “grossly misrepresented the actual user experience” of the social network.
He also said in the email: ,media matters “An alternative is that these imaginary experiences can be created on any social media platform.”
Other social networks like Facebook, Reddit and TikTok are also grappling with brand safety and moderation of hateful and false content on their platforms. However, Musk has angered his more than 163 million listed followers for personally promoting a hardline viewpoint in his own tweets, including in recent weeks.
In late October, an X user complained that a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee had been melted in Charlottesville, Virginia. The bronze was put to use in new public art that would not glorify the losers of the Civil War. “My kind are hated and many call for our extinction,” lamented a user claiming to be a relative of the general. Musk then replied in agreement: “They definitely want your extinction.”
Last week, Musk agreed with a post that falsely claimed that Jewish people are promoting “dialectical hatred” against white people. Musk called the anti-Semitic post “the real truth”, prompting reactions from brands, critics and even the White House.
On the morning of November 17, the White House warned Musk, saying he was engaged in “disgusting promotion of anti-Semitism and racist hatred” that “goes against our core values as Americans.”
Later on Friday, Musk announced a new policy for his social network: ,As I said earlier this week, ‘decolonization,’ ‘from river to sea’ and similar euphemisms inevitably imply genocide. Explicit calls for extreme violence are against our terms of service and will result in suspension.”
CEO of ADL jonathan greenblatt Musk has been praised for his promise to suspend accounts that were viewed as genocidal speech. Musk has been an unwavering critic of the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish-led organization that fights hate speech and discrimination. He has threatened to sue before, but has not yet sued ADL.
It’s unclear when or in which jurisdiction X Corp will actually file suit against Media Matters. Ax is based in San Francisco while the media watchdog is based in Washington, D.C.
Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters, said in a statement emailed to CNBC on Saturday:
“Far from claiming to be pro-free speech, Musk is a bully who threatens meritless lawsuits in an effort to silence reports that he has even confirmed are accurate. Musk admitted that he disputed The ads run with pro-Nazi content we have identified. If he sues us, we will win.”
