Missouri attorney general investigating Media Matters for America

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced on Monday that his office is investigating Media Matters for America for allegedly fraudulent solicitation of donations from Missourians during its efforts to target Twitter.

“We have reason to believe Media Matters used fraud to solicit donations from Missourians in order to trick advertisers into pulling out of X, the last platform dedicated to free speech in America,” he said. “Radicals are attempting to kill Twitter, because they cannot control it, and we are not going to let Missourians get ripped off in the process. I’m fighting to ensure progressive tyrants masquerading as news outlets cannot manipulate the marketplace in order to wipe out free speech.”

Bailey is requesting records related to:

• Internal communications regarding Media Matters’ strategy to target advertisers on X and their efforts to manipulate those advertisers into pulling their ads from the platform.
• Communications with third parties regarding Media Matters’ strategy to target advertisers on X and their efforts to manipulate those advertisers into pulling their ads from the platform.
• Communications with IBM, Lions Gate Entertainment, Apple, Disney, Warner Brothers Discovery, Paramount Gold, NBCUniversal, Comcast, Sony, Ubisoft and Walmart regarding Media Matters’ strategy to target advertisers on X and their efforts to manipulate those advertisers into pulling their ads from the platform.
• Internal communications regarding Media Matters’ policies, strategies or operations related to generating stories or content intended to “cancel,” “deplatform,” “demonetize” or otherwise interfere with businesses or organizations located in Missouri or utilized by Missouri residents.
• Communications and documents related to soliciting charitable funds from residents of Missouri.

“As you are no doubt aware, a federal lawsuit has been filed against Media Matters, raising serious allegations that your firm falsely and deceptively manipulated the algorithm on X through coordinated, inauthentic behavior and that you did so in an attempt to defame the organization and cause advertisers to pull their support from the platform, thus harming free speech,” the letter said. “The lawsuit alleges that you lied to the public, falsely suggesting that fringe, extremist content regularly appears next to content from corporate advertisers when in fact the opposite is true.

“At the same time, you appear to have used this coordinated, inauthentic activity to solicit charitable donations from consumers across the country. I have reason to believe that your firm’s alleged actions may have violated Missouri consumer protection laws, including laws that prohibit nonprofit entities from soliciting funds under false pretenses.”

–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice