Groups backed by teachers unions, George Soros pressure advertisers to boycott Elon Musk’s Twitter
'Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter will further toxify our information ecosystem,' the groups wrote
Jeff Sica, Chief Investment Officer at Circle Squared Alternative Investments, sits down with Stuart Varney to discuss ways Twitter can thrive under Elon Musk's ownership.
Multiple left-wing groups backed by teachers’ unions and George Soros have signed a letter pressuring Twitter’s top advertisers to boycott the social media platform if Elon Musk goes through with his promise to uphold free speech.
A letter to brands signed by 26 groups, including Media Matters for America and UltraViolet, said marketers should make sure advertising deals made with Twitter are contingent that it will uphold its previous content moderation policies regarding hateful conduct.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk arrives for the Axel Springer media award in Berlin. (Hannibal Hanschke/Pool Photo via AP, File / AP Newsroom)
"Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter will further toxify our information ecosystem and be a direct threat to public safety, especially among those already most vulnerable and marginalized," the letter states. "Under the guise of ‘free speech,’ his vision will silence and endanger marginalized communities, and tear at the fraying fabric of democracy."
"Under Musk’s management, Twitter risks becoming a cesspool of misinformation, with your brand attached, polluting our information ecosystem in a time where trust in institutions and news media is already at an all-time low," the letter continues. "Your ad dollars can either fund Musk’s vanity project or hold him to account."
The letter demands that advertisers boycott Musk's Twitter if it does not uphold "basic standards of community trust and safety."
Many of the groups that signed the letter have been financially backed by George Soros’ Open Society Foundations and teachers' unions, including the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and National Education Association (NEA).
George Soros delivers a speech at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 23, 2020, in Davos, Switzerland. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Media Matters for America, a progressive media watchdog, is funded by a coalition of donors, including the NEA, the largest labor union in the country, The Daily Mail reported.
UltraViolet, a women’s advocacy group, is backed in part by AFT, the second-largest teachers' union in the country, and the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), as well as MoveOn, a Soros-backed advocacy group, according to Influence Watch.
NARAL Pro-Choice America, a pro-abortion nonprofit, is backed in part by AFT and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), according to Influence Watch.
The Women's March, a feminist group, is funded in part by AFT and the Soros-backed MoveOn, according to Influence Watch.
The groups Free Press and Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, which also signed the letter, are funded in part by Soros’ Open Society Institute, according to Influence Watch.
Elon Musk speaks at the Tesla Giga Texas manufacturing "Cyber Rodeo" grand opening party in Austin, Texas, on April 7, 2022. (Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Multiple European governments are also major donors to one of the letter's signatories, Access Now, The Daily Mail reported.
Access Now, which discloses its funding online, is backed in part by the Swedish government's development agency, Sida, the governments of Canada, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as Soros' Open Society Foundations.
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Musk had called for an investigation into the groups after the letter was published Tuesday, tweeting, "Who funds these organizations that want to control your access to information? Let’s investigate."
"Sunlight is the best disinfectant," he added.