Media watchdog group Media Matters filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to block a U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation into whether it coordinated advertising boycotts of X, formerly Twitter. The liberal advocacy group called the probe political retaliation for its criticism of Elon Musk, a prominent donor to Donald Trump’s campaign.
The FTC demanded Media Matters turn over communications with other organizations that monitor misinformation and hate speech, along with documents related to advertiser boycotts of X. Media Matters argues the request has chilled its reporting on both Musk and the FTC, calling it an effort to intimidate and punish the group for content critical of Musk’s platform.
“The Court should stop this attempt by the Trump Administration and Elon Musk’s allies to silence Media Matters,” the group said in its filing. It also cited similar legal pressure from Republican attorneys general in Texas and Missouri, which courts have previously blocked.
X sued Media Matters in 2023 after the group reported that ads from major companies—including IBM, Apple, Oracle, and Comcast’s Xfinity—were shown next to extremist content promoting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. Media Matters denies wrongdoing and filed a countersuit earlier this year, accusing X of launching abusive and costly litigation to suppress its reporting.
The group claims it used X’s platform in accordance with its terms of service and that its findings were factually accurate. It described Musk’s legal campaign as “libel tourism,” noting lawsuits were filed in three different countries over the same article.
The FTC’s probe, first reported by Reuters in May, adds to rising tensions over media accountability and free speech in the digital age.