ST. LOUIS — Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has taken decisive action against Media Matters, filing a lawsuit to compel the nonprofit to disclose documents pertaining to his investigation into alleged fraudulent activities.
The legal move stems from suspicions raised in November 2023 when evidence emerged suggesting that Media Matters had misled Missourians to solicit donations, purportedly to target X, formerly known as Twitter.
These actions were deemed to be in direct violation of Missouri's Merchandising Practices Act, Bailey noted in the lawsuit.
Bailey expressed his concerns, noting that Media Matters bullied advertisers into taking their advertisements off of the platform.
"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.
Bailey emphasized his determination not to let Media Matters impede the investigation, citing the organization's history of uncooperative behavior in such matters.
Bailey said he would uncover any attempts to defraud Missourians and ensure accountability for those involved.
The controversy surrounding Media Matters centers on allegations that the organization manipulated X's algorithm to place advertisers' content alongside fabricated controversial posts, according to the suit.
The alleged scheme resulted in significant financial losses for X when affected advertisers withdrew their support. Bailey alleged Media Matters' actions caused damages to the platform.
Media Matters has been vocal in its criticism of X, particularly for its stance against censoring certain viewpoints.
Bailey authored an investigative demand letter on March 25.
"The Attorney General of the State of Missouri believes it to be in the public interest that an investigation be made to ascertain whether Media Matters for America (Subject) has engaged in or is engaging in practices declared unlawful..." the letter states.
Bailey noted in the letter that Media Matters needed to promptly respond to the letter with the information he requested.
In the lawsuit, Bailey describes Media Matters as a "political activist organization" that misrepresented itself as a "progressive research and information center."
The suit contends that Media Matters engaged in fraudulent practices to solicit donations, aiming to coerce advertisers into abandoning X, a platform it could not control.
By resorting to fraud, Media Matters allegedly sought to tarnish X's reputation and suppress the free speech rights of Missourians who used the platform, according to the suit.
The lawsuit further alleges that Media Matters' actions are rooted in an activist agenda to dismantle X due to its uncontrollable nature.
The attorney general's office asserts that Missourians will not be swayed by such manipulation by activists posing as news outlets, nor will they tolerate being defrauded in the process.
Bailey argues that the core issue of the case revolves around allegations of fraudulent practices aimed at undermining a platform dedicated to free speech.
In the lawsuit, he seeks transparency and accountability from Media Matters, emphasizing the importance of upholding the rights of Missourians and combating deceptive behavior.