X-Messengers, Twitter, and the Deadliest Day for the Jewish Community: After Musk’s Anomalous Attack on Twitter, Media Matters Revisited

Advertisers are leaving the site formerly known as Twitter after a new report found that pro-Nazi content was appearing next to company ads and Musk himself supported a baseless antiemetic conspiracy theory to his 163 million followers.

A report released this week by Media Matters found major companies advertising alongside antisemitic posts on the site.

The White House condemned Mr. Musk’s statement on Friday. Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman, said in a statement that it was “unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie behind the most fatal act of antisemitism in American history at any time, let alone one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”

The new report from Media Matters states that Musk has opened the door to hate by reversing bans on anti-Muslim bigot, white nationalists, and antisemites.

For months, Musk has attempted to find other ways to make money on the social media platform, including charging for “verified” blue checks in a subscription service, but none of his efforts have have gained momentum, just as the company’s advertising base appears more rickety than ever.

Linda Yaccarino, X’s chief executive wrote on the site that X’s stance “has always been very clear that discrimination by everyone should stop,” adding that there’s no place for it. Full stop.”

Musk tapped Yaccarino, the former head of advertising at NBCUniversial, in large part to help bring back major advertisers to the platform since Musk acquired it last year and unleashed drastic changes. Musk’s shakeups have loosened rules surrounding what can be posted to the site, leading to a rise in hate and conspiracy theories.

Comments on Musk’s alleged actions against antisemitism: Media Matters argues that Apple should stop advertising on X

“At a time when antisemitism is exploding in America and surging around the world, it is indisputably dangerous to use one’s influence to validate and promote antisemitic theories,” the Anti-Defamation league’s CEO Jonathan Greenblatt wrote on the platform on Thursday.

Several well-known brands stopped advertising on X on Friday, including Warner Bros., Sony, IBM, and Paramount Global.

Carusone says that Apple typically signals a level of brand safety to other advertisers. The company has strict policies about controversial content in its app store and on its own platforms. If Apple paused its advertising on X it could cause other advertisers to switch from the platform, according to Carusone. The money goes much further than that.

Mr. Musk said, “You have said the actual truth.” Jewish groups claim that Mr. Musk increased the number of people who think Jews have organized nonwhite immigrants to replace the white race. Robert Baldwin, who killed 11 people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, embraced the concept.

Media Matters said that it would defend itself from litigation by X. “Far from the free speech advocate he claims to be, Musk is a bully threatening a meritless lawsuit in an attempt to silence reporting that he even confirmed is accurate,” said Angelo Carusone, the president of Media Matters. “Musk admitted the ads at issue ran alongside the pro-Nazi content we identified. You don’t like the reflection, so you get mad at a mirror. If he does sue us, we will win.”

In a statement, Joe Benarroch, the head of business operations at X, said, “50 impressions served against the content in the article, out of 5.5 billion served the whole day, points to the fact of how efficiently our model avoids content for advertisers.” He said that data won over allegations.