The long-running saga between Elon Musk and liberal watchdog group Media Issues could also be winding down. On Friday, a US District Court docket blocked a Federal Commerce Fee investigation into the outlet, which alleged Media Issues had colluded with advertisers and advocacy teams to boycott X.
The FTC inquiry started in Could, however its roots return to a 2023 Media Issues report displaying adverts on X showing alongside neo-Nazi and white supremacist content material. That story was one among a number of controversies through the chaotic early months of Musk’s takeover of Twitter, which drove advertisers away en masse. Musk later sued Media Issues, accusing the outlet of intentionally scaring off advertisers.
In June, Media Issues hit again, suing the FTC and claiming it was being unfairly focused for its 2023 protection of X. On the time, the group described the inquiry as a “marketing campaign of retribution” orchestrated on behalf of Musk and the Trump administration. Choose Sparkle L. Sooknanan sided with Media Issues, calling the FTC’s sweeping probe “a retaliatory act” that violated the First Modification. The courtroom’s ruling successfully halts the investigation, although the FTC can nonetheless attraction.
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“This case presents a simple First Modification violation,” Choose Sooknanan wrote. “Media Issues engaged in quintessential First Modification exercise when it printed a web-based article criticizing Mr. Musk and X. And the Court docket finds that the FTC’s expansive CID is a retaliatory act.”
Because the New York Occasions factors out, the case is a part of a broader sample: the Trump administration has repeatedly focused left-leaning establishments, from legislation companies to the fundraising platform ActBlue, alleging fraud or international affect.
