A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction halting the Federal Trade Commission’s probe into the left-leaning advocacy group Media Matters.
In 2023, Media Matters released findings showing that ads from major corporations were appearing next to antisemitic and other harmful content on Elon Musk’s X platform. Following the backlash, large advertisers withdrew, prompting X to sue Media Matters as well as advertiser groups, claiming it was the result of a coordinated “illegal boycott.”
After Donald Trump returned to the presidency in January, the FTC launched an inquiry into whether Media Matters unlawfully colluded with brands.
On Friday, Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan, a Biden-appointed federal judge in Washington, ruled in favor of Media Matters and blocked the FTC’s efforts. In her opinion, she said the group’s reporting qualified as “core First Amendment activity” and that the FTC’s broad investigative push appeared to be “retaliatory.”
“It should alarm every American when government agencies retaliate against individuals or organizations for participating in constitutionally protected public discourse,” she wrote. “That alarm rings even louder when such retaliation targets newsgathering and journalism.”
Judge Sooknanan also noted that FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson, before his appointment, had appeared on Steve Bannon’s podcast calling for investigations into progressive watchdogs and later recruited senior staff who had criticized Media Matters.
