Musk threatens to file ‘thermonuclear lawsuit’ after advertisers cut ties with X
IBM and The European Commission among those to pull ads from the site after media watchdog revealed they were being placed alongside antisemitic content
X owner Elon Musk has threatened to sue media watchdog Media Matters and others who attacked his social media platform, after a number of major companies pulled their adverts from his social media site over concerns about antisemitism.
Reports this week by Media Matters for America revealed that adverts from companies including IBM, Apple and Oracle were placed alongside content promoting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“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 said in a post on X.
IBM was the first major brand to suspend its adverts following the Media Matters investigation, calling the situation “entirely unacceptable.”
Comcast, Paramount and Lionsgate are among those who have since pulled their ads. The European Commission has also cut ties, telling staff to stop advertising after an “alarming increase in disinformation and hate speech.”
Musk was already facing criticism for endorsing a virulently antisemitic post on his social media platform on Wednesday. The post accused the “Jewish community” of pushing “dialectical hatred” against white people. Musk agreed with the post, stating: “You have said the actual truth.”
In a statement posted by Musk on Saturday, he said: “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.” He accused the watchdog of creating an alternative account designed to “misinform advertisers” about their posts.
Media Matters on Saturday said Musk was a “bully” who threatens “meritless lawsuits”.
“Musk admitted the ads at issue ran alongside the pro-Nazi content we identified,” Media Matters President Angelo Carusone said in a statement.
“If he does sue us, we will win.”
Musk has threatened legal action against other parties in the past, including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a nonprofit organisation that fights antisemitism, blaming it for X’s loss of ad revenue. He has not yet sued the ADL, however.
Advertisers have fled the site since Musk bought it in October 2022 and reduced content moderation, resulting in a rise in hate speech, according to some civil rights groups.
The White House on Friday condemned Musk’s endorsement of what it called a “hideous” antisemitic conspiracy theory, and accused Musk of an “abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate” that “runs against our core values as Americans”.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
