Media Matters for America sued the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Monday to block the agency’s investigation into the progressive media watchdog group, arguing the probe amounts to unlawful retaliation.
The group received a request from the FTC last month for documents and communications related to several advertising and watchdog groups, as well as its legal battle with Elon Musk’s social platform X.
“Media Matters faces an ongoing campaign of retribution for exercising its First Amendment rights,” the lawsuit reads. “For the third time, Media Matters must ask this Court to halt this ‘government campaign of retaliation.’”
X sued the watchdog group in 2023 over a report that outlined how the social media site had placed ads for mainstream brands next to hateful content. The report, combined with controversial comments from Musk at the time, prompted advertisers to halt their spending on the platform.
Texas and Missouri followed suit, opening investigations into Media Matters and requesting documents from the group that were later blocked in court.
“Now the Federal Trade Commission seeks to punish Media Matters for its journalism and speech in exposing matters of substantial public concern,” the group wrote in its complaint. “The campaign of retribution against Media Matters must stop.”
Media Matters argues the FTC’s request is “overbroad and designed to be maximally burdensome” and “constitutes a fishing expedition into the most sensitive areas” of its work, seeking information about the group’s finances, editorial process and newsgathering activities.
The FTC did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
Notably, the agency no longer has any Democratic commissioners, after President Trump fired Commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya in March. The former commissioners, who argue their firings are illegal, have sued the president.
