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U.S. District Court Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan ruled Friday that
the FTC's probe of Media Matters, “purportedly to investigate an
advertiser boycott concerning social media platforms,”
represents a clear violation of the group's freedom of speech.
“It should alarm all Americans when the government retaliates
against individuals or organizations for engaging in
constitutionally protected public debate,” Sooknanan wrote.
Even before the FTC got involved, Media Matters has been
defending itself against a lawsuit by Musk following the
organization's November 2023 story that, following Musk's
purchase of the social media site once known as Twitter,
antisemitic posts and other offensive content were appearing
next to advertisements there.
Sooknanan said the injunction halting any FTC probe was merited
because Media Matters is likely to succeed on its claim that the
FTC is being used to retaliate against it for a critical article
on a Trump supporter.
“The court's ruling demonstrates the importance of fighting over
folding, which far too many are doing when confronted with
intimidation from the Trump administration,” said Angelo
Carusone, chairman and president of Media Matters.
There was no immediate comment from an FTC spokesman.
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