Journalists Who Criticized X Accuse Missouri Attorney General of ‘Sucking up to Elon Musk’

Key Takeaways

• A judge has ordered the Missouri Attorney General to suspend his investigation into Media Matters over its reporting of extremist content on X.
• A similar injunction was previously granted against the Texas Attorney General.
• X is currently suing Media Matters for allegedly manipulating content to make it appear as if extremist posts appeared next to certain advertisements.

When Elon Musk’s X sued the non-profit journalism watchdog Media Matters in November last year, it set off a series of legal disputes that pit the left-leaning organization against X and its conservative supporters.

Those supporters include Attorney Generals in Missouri and Texas, who launched coordinated attacks against Media Matters, accusing it of fraud. However, their efforts now look unlikely to succeed after a federal Judge handed the media organization a crucial victory last week. 

Media Matters Granted Injunction

After Texas AG Ken Pax­ton launched an investigation  into “the schemes of radical left-wing organizations” to depict X in a negative light, Media Matters countersued, alleging that Paxton’s actions amounted to retaliation in violation of the First Amendment.

A similar claim against Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey was later added to the case, with Judge Amit Mehta responsible for overseeing both. 

In his latest opinion , Judge Mehta sided with Media Matters, writing that “plaintiffs’ retaliation claim is plainly ripe as they have come forward with evidence of harm: Defendant’s actions chilled their protected expression.”

Following a similar injunction against Pax­ton in April, the latest decision also ends Bailey’s investigation.

A Victory for Free Speech

In a damning indictment of the AG’s actions, Judge Mehta’s opinion observed that “the most heinous act in which a democratic government can engage is to use its law enforcement machinery for political ends […] That apparently is what has occurred here.”

Responding to the news, Media Matters CEO Angelo Carusone celebrated the decision as “a victory for free speech.” 

“A federal judge has clearly seen this coordinated effort by state attorneys general for what it is – sucking up to Elon Musk and abusing the power of their offices to intimidate researchers and stifle accurate reporting by Musk’s critics,” she said .

Implications for X vs. Media Matters

Media Matters’ victory against the AGs has significant implications for X’s lawsuit.

According to the complaint : 

“Media Matters knowingly and maliciously manufactured side-by-side images depicting advertisers’ posts on X Corp.’s social media platform beside Neo-Nazi and white-nationalist fringe content and then portrayed these manufactured images as if they were what typical X users experience on the platform.”

With a trial scheduled for April 2025, the organization’s defense will likely rest on the First Amendment. That argument will be strengthened by the latest ruling, which legally enshrines the status of Media Matters’ reporting as protected speech.

Ultimately, X’s legal team may live to regret the lawsuit, which piles additional pressure on the social media company as it faces a series of separate legal challenges.

About the Author

James Morales

Although his background is in crypto and FinTech news, these days, James likes to roam across CCN’s editorial breadth, focusing mostly on digital technology. Having always been fascinated by the latest innovations, he uses his platform as a journalist to explore how new technologies work, why they matter and how they might shape our future.

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