Feds Launch Probe Into Media Matters for Targeting Elon Musk’s X

Federal regulators have opened a formal investigation into Media Matters for America, the left-wing activist organization accused of illegally coordinating advertiser boycotts to cripple Elon Musk’s X platform and silence conservative speech.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a sweeping demand for documents related to Media Matters’ communications with other so-called “watchdog” groups that target conservative content under the pretense of combating “hate speech” and “misinformation.” According to sources, the probe will examine whether collusion occurred to push advertisers into a coordinated pullout from X.

The move comes after President Trump’s FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson hinted at enforcement action in December, vowing to prosecute any “unlawful collusion between online platforms” that undermines fair competition and free expression.

“This is about power, not safety,” one GOP congressional staffer said. “Media Matters has been targeting conservative speech for decades and now that they’re trying to bankrupt an entire platform for allowing dissent, the feds are finally stepping in.”

Elon Musk, who acquired Twitter in 2022 and rebranded it as X, has taken the fight head-on. In 2023, X sued Media Matters after the group published a report falsely claiming that corporate ads were running alongside Nazi-related content. Musk's legal team uncovered that the organization manipulated its feed using a dummy account to force ads next to extremist material a “contrived user experience” designed to mislead advertisers and incite public outrage.

“Despite our clear and consistent position, X has seen a number of attacks from activist groups like Media Matters and legacy media outlets who seek to undermine freedom of expression on our platform,” Musk said at the time.

According to internal data from X:

• 5.5 billion ad impressions occurred the day Media Matters ran its “research.”

• Fewer than 50 impressions matched the narrative Media Matters pushed.

• Major brands like Apple and IBM paused ads almost immediately after the article went public.

This wasn't journalism. It was a coordinated hit job designed to starve X of ad revenue and now the FTC is investigating whether it violated federal law in the process.

Media Matters, bankrolled by leftist billionaires including George Soros, has long made it their mission to deplatform conservatives and pressure advertisers into walking away from dissenting voices. This time, however, they may have gone too far.

“Media Matters exists to label anything outside the progressive narrative as ‘hate speech’ and now they’re facing the consequences of that strategy,” said one legal analyst familiar with the case.

The group has countersued Musk’s X, claiming the lawsuit was retaliatory. But X has filed additional lawsuits against others, including the World Federation of Advertisers, for participating in what it describes as an illegal conspiracy to suppress ad revenue on the platform.

The FTC probe marks a major escalation, shifting the conflict from civil litigation to potential government enforcement. If Media Matters is found guilty of collusion or deceptive practices, the fallout could be enormous not just for them, but for every so-called “fact-checker” and activist group trying to weaponize corporate pressure to silence free speech.

Musk, who now leads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency and is a major backer of the president’s 2024 campaign, continues to challenge what he calls the “woke mind virus” infecting tech and media.”

With this federal probe now underway, the days of unchecked leftist censorship campaigns may finally be numbered.

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