Liberal watchdog group Media Matters fired at least 12 staff members on Thursday, with executives and some of the fired journalists blaming X Inc. owner Elon Musk for the cuts.
The billionaire tycoon sued the Washington, DC-based nonprofit. Defamation in November of last yearThey accused the company of fabricating images showing advertisements for major companies next to posts by white supremacists and neo-Nazis.
In response to the lawsuit, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey launched a federal fraud investigation into the outlet for allegedly manipulating data on the site then known as Twitter.
Media Matters did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the company’s president, Angelo Carusone, issued a statement about the job cuts on Thursday.
“We face legal attacks from multiple fronts, and given the rapidly changing media environment, we need to be extremely careful about how we allocate our resources to remain effective,” Carusone said.
“No other company can do what Media Matters can, which is why we’re taking action now to ensure we remain sustainable, strong and successful no matter what the future holds.”
The laid-off staff members announced their sudden firings on social media on Thursday, with one person having particularly harsh words for Musk.
“Bad news: I have been fired from @mmfa along with 12 of my colleagues. There’s a reason why a far-right billionaire has his army of lawyers attacking Media Matters: they know how effective our work is and it scares them,” Kat Abu-Ghazaleh said. I have written.
The Washington Post has reached out to Musk for comment.
Other longtime journalists at Media Matters also lamented the firings.
“After nearly four years working in media, I was laid off.” I have written A staff member named Beatrice said, “If anyone is looking for a researcher with video experience, please contact me.”
“I hit a journalism milestone (I was fired)” – Former Media Matters reporter Bobby Lewis Added.
“Layoffs today at Media Matters. Lots of great people.” Said Jared Holt, senior fellow at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue;
At the time of Musk’s lawsuit, Carusone called it “baseless” and noted that “major brands” are “understandably cautious” about partnering with social media platforms.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas, is still working its way through the judicial system.
A statement about layoffs at stores. X/Angelo Carusone
The Media Matters layoffs are the latest in a series of job cuts in the industry, particularly in liberal media.
As first reported by The Daily Caller, NowThis laid off half of its editorial team in February as part of a “broader effort to realign our resources and organization to ensure a long-term sustainable business in an evolving media environment.”
The Intercept also fired 15 staff members, including editor-in-chief Roger Hodge, on the same day. Last month, The New York Times reported that the news site co-founded by Glenn Greenwald was running low on funds and was at risk of closing as soon as next year.
