Elon Musk says X to file 'thermonuclear' lawsuit against media watchdog (updated)

Lions Gate Entertainment

18/11/2023 07:43

(Adds more from statement in paragraph 8, background paras 5,
10-12)
       Nov 18 (Reuters) - X Corp, formerly known as Twitter,
will file a lawsuit against Media Matters and those who attacked
social media platform X, Elon Musk said on Saturday in a post on
the platform, soon after major U.S. companies paused their
advertisements on the site. 
    "The split second court opens on Monday, X Corp will be
filing a thermonuclear lawsuit against Media Matters and all
those who colluded in this fraudulent attack on our company,"
Musk wrote in a post on X, without naming any other parties.
    Liberal media watchdog group Media Matters for America
earlier this week said it found that corporate advertisements by
IBM, Apple, Oracle and Comcast's Xfinity were being placed
alongside antisemitic content. 
    IBM on Thursday said it immediately suspended all
advertising on Musk-owned X after the watchdog found its ads
were placed next to content promoting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi
Party.
    Disney, Warner Bros Discovery and Comcast, Lions Gate
Entertainment and Paramount Global said on Friday they were also
pausing their ads on X. Axios reported that Apple would do the
same. 
    Musk on Wednesday endorsed an antisemitic post on X that
falsely claimed members of the Jewish community were stoking
hatred against white people.
    "This week Media Matters for America posted a story that
completely misrepresented the real experience on X, in another
attempt to undermine freedom of speech and mislead advertisers,"
a statement posted by Musk said.
    "Media Matters created an alternate account and curated the
posts and advertising appearing on the account's timeline to
misinform advertisers about the placement of their posts."
    Media Matters did not immediately respond to an emailed
request seeking comment outside of business hours.
    Advertisers have fled the site since Musk bought it in
October 2022 and reduced content moderation, resulting in a
sharp rise in hate speech on X, according to civil rights
groups. 
    The White House on Friday condemned Elon Musk's endorsement
of what it called a "hideous" antisemitic conspiracy theory on
X. It accused Musk of an "abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and
racist hate" that "runs against our core values as Americans".
    "It is unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie ... one month
after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the
Holocaust," White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said,
referring to the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group
Hamas on Israel.
    

 (Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Tomasz
Janowski, Kirsten Donovan)
 ((Mrinmay.Dey@thomsonreuters.com;))