Latest news with #AngeloCarusone
Reuters
5 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
US appeals court rules for watchdog Media Matters in fight over Texas subpoena
May 30 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday rejected Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's demand for internal records from liberal watchdog group Media Matters, calling the state's probe a retaliatory campaign against the nonprofit. In its ruling, opens new tab, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld a lower judge's order that blocked a Texas subpoena for financial records and other information from Media Matters. 'Tellingly, Paxton has not offered any argument to dispute that the investigation was retaliatory,' Circuit Judge Harry Edwards wrote. Edwards called the Paxton probe 'an arguably bad-faith investigation.' Texas launched its investigation of Media Matters in late 2023, immediately after Elon Musk's social media platform X sued the organization in federal court. In that ongoing lawsuit, X alleges that Media Matters defamed it in a report that said major advertisers' brands had appeared next to right-wing extremist content. Media Matters has defended its reporting. The Texas attorney general's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday's ruling. In a statement, Media Matters president and chief executive Angelo Carusone called the court's decision a victory for free speech. A lawyer for Media Matters, Aria Branch, said the D.C. Circuit's decision should warn state attorneys general that "any attempt to intimidate and harass through baseless investigations will be met with decisive rejection from the courts." Texas sought financial records in its request to Media Matters, in addition to communications with major corporate advertisers and X employees. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission recently indicated it is also investigating Media Matters, according to a document seen by Reuters. The FTC, in a civil investigative demand, asked Media Matters to hand over any communications it had with other groups that evaluate misinformation and hate speech in news and social media. Carusone blasted the FTC probe in a prior statement and said the Trump administration has abused 'the power of the federal government to bully political opponents and silence critics." A spokesperson for the FTC declined to comment on the Reuters report. The case is Media Matters for America et al v. Texas Attorney General Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, No. 24-7059. For Media Matters: Aria Branch of Elias Law Group For Paxton: Lanora Pettit of the Texas attorney general's office Read more: FTC probes Media Matters over Musk's X boycott claims, document shows Media Matters accuses Musk's X of 'abusive' tactics in new lawsuit Musk's X likely to lose records appeal in Media Matters case, court says
Axios
23-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
FTC investigating liberal watchdog group Media Matters
The Federal Trade Commission is investigating the liberal group Media Matters over claims that it and other media advocacy groups coordinated advertising boycotts of Elon Musk's X, Media Matters president Angelo Carusone confirmed in a statement Thursday. Why it matters: Musk and conservatives have been targeting advertising groups for months as part of a broader effort to determine whether the ad market writ large is biased against them. X sued Media Matters for defamation in 2023 for a report it publicly released that showed ads on X running next to pro-Nazi content. X claimed the report contributed to an advertiser exodus. Last year, X filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the World Federation of Advertisers, a major advertising trade group, and its industry coalition called the Global Alliance for Responsible Media. The lawsuit proved effective as WFA discontinued GARM a few months later. What they're saying:"The Trump administration has been defined by naming right-wing media figures to key posts and abusing the power of the federal government to bully political opponents and silence critics," said Carusone. "It's clear that's exactly what's happening here, given Media Matters' history of holding those same figures to account. These threats won't work; we remain steadfast to our mission." The FTC did not respond to a request for comment. Zoom out: The investigation, first reported by Reuters, signals an escalation of tensions between the advertising community and conservatives. Last year, The Daily Wire, a conservative media company, sent letters to major corporations asking them to "reject" GARM, arguing it colluded with agencies, brands and tech platforms "to demonetize conservative media outlets." The Daily Wire testified in a hearing about the matter last summer, after conservatives leading the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing about complaints GARM was colluding with ad-buying giant GroupM to discourage clients from buying ads in the Daily Wire because of its conservative politics. What to watch: X Corp. has a mixed record when it comes to lawsuits against research and advocacy groups.
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Elon Musk's vendetta against Media Matters morphs into Trump administration investigation
Amid 'first buddy' Elon Musk's ongoing public war against Media Matters for America, the Federal Trade Commission has opened an investigation into the liberal media watchdog over what it says could be illegal collusion with advertisers. Essentially piggybacking on Musk's lawsuits against Media Matters over the group's research into hateful and antisemitic content on the megabillionaire's social media platform X, the FTC sent a letter to the organization requiring it to share communications and documents related to its research, as well as copies of its budgets. 'This demand is issued pursuant to Section 20 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. § 57b-1, in the course of an investigation to determine whether there is, has been, or may be a violation of any laws administered by the Federal Trade Commission by conduct, activities, or proposed action as described in Item 3,' the letter states. Media Matters president Angelo Carusone said the formal government probe was an escalation of President Donald Trump's efforts to punish his critics, which have resulted in executive orders against law firms, investigations into Democratic-aligned groups, and threats against media outlets. 'The Trump administration has been defined by naming right-wing media figures to key posts and abusing the power of the federal government to bully political opponents and silence critics,' Carusone said in a statement. 'It's clear that's exactly what's happening here, given Media Matters' history of holding those same figures to account. These threats won't work; we remain steadfast to our mission,' he added. The FTC declined to comment. Earlier this spring, the president dismissed the last two remaining Democrats on the FTC, calling into question the commission's independence. While the commission is supposed to be made up of five commissioners who serve seven-year terms, with no more than three from any political party, the FTC currently has just three members – all Republican. Musk, who serves as a close adviser to Trump and has championed himself as a 'free speech absolutist,' sued Media Matters for defamation in 2023 and blamed it for an advertiser exodus from X over a 'harmful' report that showed pro-Nazi posts appearing next to blue-chip company ads. Since then, Musk launched another lawsuit against an industry group that represents a slew of global brands and advertisers, accusing it of conspiring to cut off X's advertising revenue. The world's richest man has also filed additional complaints against Media Matters across the world, while sympathetic GOP state attorneys have spun up their own Musk-related civil investigations into the liberal organization. A federal judge halted those probes last year, stating that they were being used 'to retaliate against a media organization for protected speech.' This past March, Media Matters went on offense and sued X for breach of contract over the multiple lawsuits Musk has filed against the group, which includes complaints in Ireland and Singapore, claiming the tech mogul was engaging in 'a vendetta-driven campaign of libel tourism.' 'X's worldwide campaign of intimidation seeks to punish Media Matters for exercising its core First Amendment rights on a matter of public importance,' the lawsuit alleges. 'This Court should stop X's antics and enforce the forum selection clause that X itself drafted.' The Tesla CEO's vendetta against Media Matters has forced the non-profit group to make severe cutbacks amid the financial strain of the escalating court battles. The watchdog laid off roughly a dozen writers and researchers last year and has scaled back much of its work in recent months. Carusone has therefore spent much of the past year meeting with donors and allies while attempting to raise enough money to keep Media Matters afloat. Meanwhile, the Trump-led government seemingly doing the bidding of a close ally of the president's, who donated hundreds of millions of dollars to the GOP in the past year, has already prompted quite a bit of criticism. 'Of course, if the roles were reversed—if a Democratic administration were using the FTC to target a conservative media watchdog because George Soros didn't like its reporting—outlets like Fox News would never stop covering it,' Status founder Oliver Darcy wrote. 'There would be front-page stories, members of Congress would be pressured to hold hearings, and endless screeds about weaponizing government would saturate social media platforms like X.'
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
FTC probes Media Matters over Elon Musk's X boycott claims, document shows
HighlightsThe United States Federal Trade Commission has requested documents from Media Matters regarding possible coordination with other media watchdogs allegedly involved in orchestrating advertiser boycotts of the social media platform X. Media Matters President Angelo Carusone criticized the investigation as an abuse of federal power aimed at silencing political opponents, reflecting on the Trump administration's approach to media figures. The social media platform X is currently engaged in lawsuits against both Media Matters and the World Federation of Advertisers, claiming illegal collusion and defamation related to advertising practices. The US Federal Trade Commission has demanded documents from Media Matters about possible coordination with other media watchdogs accused by Elon Musk of helping orchestrate advertiser boycotts of X, according to a document seen by Reuters on Thursday. The civil investigative demand seeks information about Media Matters' communications with other groups that evaluate misinformation and hate speech in news and social media, including a World Federation of Advertisers initiative called Global Alliance for Responsible Media. X has ongoing lawsuits against both organizations. The probe, first reported by Reuters, marks an escalation in U.S. government scrutiny of whether groups like Media Matters helped advertisers coordinate to pull ad dollars from X after Musk bought the social media site formerly known as Twitter in 2022. The demand seeks all documents Media Matters, a Washington, DC-based liberal advocacy group, has produced or received in the X lawsuit related to advertiser boycotts. FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, who was appointed by president Donald Trump to run the agency, highlighted the potential for a probe in December. "We must prosecute any unlawful collusion between online platforms, and confront advertiser boycotts which threaten competition among those platforms," Ferguson said in a statement on an unrelated case. Media Matters President Angelo Carusone said on Thursday that the Trump administration has "been defined by naming right-wing media figures to key posts and abusing the power of the federal government to bully political opponents and silence critics." "It's clear that's exactly what's happening here, given Media Matters' history of holding those same figures to account. These threats won't work; we remain steadfast to our mission," he said. The U.S. House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Republican member Jim Jordan, accused the Global Alliance for Responsible Media last year of coordinating an illegal group boycott. The initiative was shut down in August. A spokesperson for the FTC declined to comment. World Federation of Advertisers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An investigative demand is not proof of wrongdoing, and not all investigations result in the FTC taking enforcement action. Advertising spending on X is set to increase in 2025 for the first time since Musk bought it in 2022, research firm Emarketer said in March, but it remains below its pre-Musk level. The Tesla CEO was a major donor to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and runs his initiative to slash the federal workforce. Last year, X sued the World Federation of Advertisers and a group of major brands in federal court in Texas, accusing them of illegally conspiring to curtail ad spending. The group has asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit, contending that advertisers chose other platforms based on their concerns about X's commitment to brand safety. Media Matters and X are battling each other in federal courts in Texas and California. X sued Media Matters in 2023, accusing the organization of defaming it in an article that said ads for major brands had appeared next to posts on X that touted far-right extremist content. Media Matters has denied the allegations, and sued X, accusing it of abusive, costly and meritless lawsuits to punish the group for its reporting on advertising on X after Musk purchased the site. The organization has said defending against X's claims has cost it millions of dollars.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'We now have politicized law enforcement': The serious implications of Trump's Fox News picks
Host of "Politics Nation" Rev. Al Sharpton, and President of Media Matters for America Angelo Carusone join Nicolle Wallace to discuss the news that Donald Trump announced yesterday that he is appointing Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as the acting U.S. attorney for the District Columbia, bringing the total Fox News alums in the administration to a whopping 23.
