The Guardian newspaper has announced it will stop posting on X, formerly Twitter, after describing the social media platform as “toxic”.
The news outlet explained that it had considered the decision for a while due to the “often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism.”
However, it was the US election earlier this November that “underlined” its decision.
“The US presidential election campaign served only to underline what we have considered for a long time: that X is a toxic media platform and that its owner, Elon Musk, has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse,” they wrote.
The Guardian’s X account bio now describes itself as an archived page, instead pointing readers to its website and app.
Why the Guardian is no longer posting on X https://t.co/j4fRgzSYde
— The Guardian (@guardian) November 13, 2024
However, the Guardian specified that users will still be able to share their articles and would “occasionally embed content from X” within its articles, considering “the nature of live news reporting”.
Moreover, reporters would still be able to use the site for news-gathering purposes, similar to how they use other social media channels they don’t have accounts for.
The Guardian, which has 10.8 million followers on its main X account, thus becomes the first major UK news outlet to leave the social media platform since billionaire Elon Musk acquired it in 2022. Both owner and platform have since been embroiled in controversy and scrutiny, the latest of which was Musk’s decision to support Republican candidate Donald Trump in the American elections.
While X did not immediately comment on this announcement, Elon Musk soon took to the platform to respond to The Telegram’s reporting of The Guardian’s decision.
“They are irrelevant,” he wrote.
Time will tell if other news outlets will follow The Guardian’s decision.
