The court sided with Media Matters - X did indeed show ads with anti-Semitic and racist posts
In the United States, Federal Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan issued a preliminary injunction halting the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) lawsuit against Media Matters. The judge emphasised that the investigation threatens to violate the First Amendment rights to free speech (freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly and petition).
The judge described Media Matters' activities as typical First Amendment protected speech, and the FTC's investigative actions as oppressive and intimidating. The ruling also mentioned that FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson had previously attacked progressive organisations on Steve Bannon's podcast and then recruited those who had previously criticised Media Matters to the agency - adding to suspicions that the investigation was political. - Judge Sooknanan said.
Background.
In 2023, Media Matters published a study that found that ads from major brands appeared alongside anti-Semitic content on X. This led to an outflow of advertisers, and the platform filed lawsuits against Media Matters, as well as against some major advertisers. At the same time, the FTC launched an investigation into whether Media Matters had illegally colluded with advertisers. Media Matters challenged the investigation in court, calling it an attempt to censor journalistic activity.
Why It Matters
Elon Musk, the owner of X, is a close associate of Donald Trump, who during his second term did not show much respect for institutions and simply fired anyone who made decisions that did not agree with him. Although the litigation may still be ongoing, we now have an example of functioning institutions in the United States.
Source: techcrunch.com
