Elon Musk threatens to sue Media watchdog Media Matters over antisemitic Content on X
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, X (formerly known as Twitter), and SpaceX, has threatened to sue media watchdog Media Matters and other parties in response to criticism of his social media platform X for promoting antisemitic content. Several large U.S. companies have recently halted advertising on the platform after their ads appeared alongside the offensive material.
Musk and X have faced scrutiny this week for allowing antisemitic and racist content to proliferate on the site. According to the liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America, ads from major companies, including IBM and Apple, were placed alongside content promoting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.
The situation escalated when Musk himself endorsed an antisemitic post on X that falsely claimed members of the Jewish community were stoking hatred against white people, drawing sharp condemnation, including from the White House.
In response, Musk took to X to announce that the company would be filing a lawsuit against Media Matters and others involved in what he called a “fraudulent attack” on X.
As a result of the controversy, numerous companies, including IBM, Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, Comcast, Lions Gate Entertainment, and Paramount Global, have suspended their ads on the platform. Apple, the world’s largest company by market value, is also reportedly planning to do the same.
In a statement posted by Musk, he accused Media Matters of misrepresenting the real experience on X and attempting to undermine freedom of speech and mislead advertisers. Media Matters responded by calling Musk a “bully” and stating that if he sues them, they will win.
This is not the first time Musk has threatened legal action in response to criticism. He previously blamed the Anti-Defamation League for X’s loss of ad revenue but did not follow through with a lawsuit.
The controversy surrounding X comes amid allegations of a sharp rise in hate speech on the platform since Musk acquired it in October 2022 and reduced content moderation, according to civil rights groups.
The White House has condemned Musk’s endorsement of antisemitic content, calling it “abhorrent” and stating that it “runs against our core values as Americans.”
In addition to his role at X, Musk is also the CEO of electric carmaker Tesla, which has faced lawsuits alleging widespread racial or sexual harassment of workers.
The recent incidents highlight the rise of antisemitism in the United States and worldwide. According to the Anti-Defamation League, following the outbreak of war between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in October 2023, antisemitic incidents in the United States rose by nearly 400% compared to the previous year.
Reporting by Mrinmay Dey and Jyoti Narayan in Bengaluru; Writing by David Gaffen; Editing by Tomasz Janowski, Kirsten Donovan, and Daniel Wallis
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