The vicious left-wing smear merchants at Media Matters laid off more than a dozen staffers on Thursday. The layoffs may be connected to legal battles that the organization is currently engaged in with Elon Musk of X, as well as the states of Texas and Missouri. The layoffs represent approximately 15 percent of Media Matter’s workforce.
In November, Media Matters published an attack piece on Musk and his X platform, claiming that X was deliberately placing corporate advertisements on content by pro-Hitler accounts, Holocaust deniers, and white nationalist groups. Several large advertisers — including Disney, Apple, Comcast, IBM, and Warner Brothers — immediately announced an advertising boycott of X.
Musk promised a “thermonuclear lawsuit” when engineers for the platform found that Media Matters may have been manipulating an alternative account in order to create the same unfriendly ad experience it was complaining about.
“We’re confronting a legal assault on multiple fronts and given how rapidly the media landscape is shifting, we need to be extremely intentional about how we allocate resources in order to stay effective,” said Media Matter President Angelo Carusone in a statement. “Nobody does what Media Matters does. So, we’re taking this action now to ensure that we are sustainable, sturdy and successful for whatever lies ahead.”
At the time Musk filed suit, Media Matters was defiant, with Carusone saying, “This is a frivolous lawsuit meant to bully X’s critics into silence. Media Matters stands behind its reporting and looks forward to winning in court.”
Plus, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a Civil Investigative Demand and alleged that the “progressive research and information center” may have committed fraud as it solicited donations from Missouri residents.
“My office has reason to believe Media Matters used fraud to solicit donations from Missourians in order to bully advertisers into pulling out of X, the last social media platform dedicated to free speech in America, so we launched an investigation to get to the bottom of it,” Bailey said at the time.
Thus far, Media Matters has refused to cooperate with the Missouri probe, prompting a lawsuit claiming that the group “has pursued an activist agenda in its attempt to destroy X, because they cannot control it.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also launched a probe against Media Matters, saying he was “extremely troubled” by allegations that the far-left group manipulated data on X.
“We are examining the issue closely to ensure that the public has not been deceived by the schemes of radical left-wing organizations who would like nothing more than to limit freedom by reducing participation in the public square,” Paxton said.
A federal judge recently granted Media Matters an injunction in the Texas case, which forbids Paxton from demanding materials related to their reporting. The judge claimed Paxton’s descriptions of Media Matters as “a ‘radical anti-free speech’ and ‘radical left-wing organization’” showed that his investigation was “evidence of retaliatory intent.”
Carusone called the injunction a “victory for free speech.”
Ironically, ousted staffers announced their layoffs on X, the very platform they attacked in November.
“Bad News: I’ve been laid off from@mmfa, along with a dozen colleagues,” posted staffer Kat Abughazaleh. “There’s a reason far-right billionaires attack Media Matters with armies of lawyers: They know how effective our work is, and it terrifies them (him).”
Some laid off staff members begged the internet for jobs.
“I got laid off from Media Matters @mmfa today, proud of the 5 years of intense work I put into fighting right-wing hatred. I’m an incredible manager with superb research skills. Please hire me!” posted Alex Paterson, an associate research director.
Other left-wing elements also lamented the layoffs.
“Layoffs at Media Matters today. Lots of smart people available for jobs now,” said Jared Holt of the far-left advocacy group Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
But Florida-based commentator Viva Frei said that Media Matters is “suffering the consequences of its own actions.”
Frei pointed out that X is not alone when it comes to Media Matters’ duplicitous behavior, as Rumble (a YouTube alternative) has also been a victim.
“X is not alone,” posted Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski. “I can also confirm that Media Matters has purposely misrepresented Rumble. Their dishonesty warrants an immediate investigation at the highest levels (hint, @SpeakerJohnson & @Jim_Jordan). and I’ll bring the receipts.”
Media Matters and the far Left are extremely threatened by free speech on the internet. While they claim to be “protecting” free speech, in fact they’re actively working to destroy it.
