REGULATORS SET SIGHTS ON OUTFIT SUED BY MUSK

Billionaire sued media watchdog in dispute over his platform X. By Kate Conger

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The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday opened an investigation into Media Matters, a liberal advocacy organisation that has published research on hateful and antisemitic content on the social platform X, sources say.

The regulator said in a letter sent to the organisation that it was investigating the group, which is aligned with Democrats, over whether it illegally colluded with advertisers.

The letter, a copy of which was seen by The New York Times, required the organisation to share copies of its budgets; documents showing the effects of “harmful” online content on advertisers; and communications with other watchdog groups.

Elon Musk, who owns X and has become a close adviser to President Donald Trump, sued Media Matters in 2023 over claims that it tried to damage the social media platform's relationship with advertisers.

That lawsuit continues. As part of its demands, the FTC also asked Media Matters to turn over all the documents it had produced or received from X in that litigation.

The investigation is the latest example of the Trump administration's taking actions against individuals and organisations that play critical roles in the infrastructure of the political left.