The FTC Obliges Musk and Targets a Democrat-Aligned Group Flagging Racist Content on X

May 22, 2025

The Trump administration is systematically trying to dismantle the fundraising and media infrastructure of its political opposition. The latest attack is a Federal Trade Commission investigation launched against Media Matters, a Democrat-aligned media watchdog group.

The New York Times reports:

The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday opened an investigation into Media Matters, a liberal advocacy organization that has published research on hateful and antisemitic content on X, according to two people familiar with the inquiry.
The regulator said in a letter sent to the organization that it was investigating the group, which is aligned with Democrats, over whether it illegally colluded with advertisers, according to the people. The letter, a copy of which was seen by The New York Times, required the organization 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 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 F.T.C. 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 organizations that play critical roles in the infrastructure of the political left.

Working to expose racism on media platforms is clearly protected by the First Amendment. But the process is the punishment. Media Matters already had to lay off workers in 2024 to defend against a frivolous lawsuit by Musk and may have to shrink more to fend off the FTC.

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