The Guardian announced it will cease posting content on Elon Musk’s X platform, labelling it a “toxic media platform” rife with “often disturbing content.”
With nearly 11 million followers on X, the newspaper stated on its website that the disadvantages of maintaining a presence on the platform now outweigh the benefits. “We can better allocate our resources to promote our journalism on other platforms,” the publication explained.
The decision follows long-standing concerns about the content of X, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism. “The US presidential election campaign only reinforced our belief that X is toxic and that its owner, Elon Musk, has significantly influenced political discourse,” the statement read.
Although The Guardian’s main X handle remained accessible on Wednesday, a message stating the account had been archived redirected visitors to its website.
The newspaper clarified that while X users can still share its articles, it will only embed content from X in its articles when necessary for live news reporting. Reporters from The Guardian will continue to use X and other social networks where the paper does not maintain accounts.
“Social media remains a vital tool for news organizations to engage new audiences; however, X’s role in promoting our work has significantly diminished,” The Guardian noted.
Musk, who acquired X (formerly Twitter) for $44 billion in 2022, has frequently sparked controversy with his activities on the platform, especially during the recent US presidential election. He endorsed Donald Trump and used his account, which has nearly 205 million followers, to support the Republican candidate through numerous controversial and misleading posts.
Recently, Trump announced that Musk, alongside entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, would lead a new Department of Government Efficiency in his upcoming administration.
