Media Matters has dismissed at least a dozen employees in the wake of a federal investigation and a lawsuit from “X” CEO Elon Musk.
The layoffs came after Republican Attorneys General Ken Paxton of Texas and Andrew Bailey of Missouri initiated federal investigations into the outlet's alleged manipulation of data on “X,” previously known as Twitter.
In November, Musk initiated a defamation lawsuit against Media Matters in federal court. The site had accused the outlet of deliberately fabricating images that displayed advertisements from major corporations alongside posts made by white supremacists and neo-Nazis.
These recent staffing cuts at Media Matters mark the latest development in a trend of layoffs within liberal media outlets. In February, NowThis reduced its editorial team by half as part of an effort to realign resources for long-term sustainability in the evolving media landscape. On the same day, The Intercept laid off 15 staffers, including its Editor-in-Chief Roger Hodge.
