The Guardian quits X, citing concerns over content

The Guardian, a prominent British newspaper, announced on Wednesday that it would discontinue posting from its official accounts on the social media platform X. The decision stems from the newspaper’s assertion that X, owned by the billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, has evolved into a “toxic media platform” rife with “often disturbing content.”

In a statement on its website, The Guardian articulated the rationale behind its departure from X, where it boasts nearly 11 million followers. The newspaper said that it believes the downsides of maintaining an active presence on X now outweigh the potential benefits. Emphasising its commitment to quality journalism, The Guardian indicated that its “resources could be better used promoting our journalism elsewhere.”

The Guardian revealed that such deliberations had been ongoing, particularly due to the prevalence of disturbing content found on the platform. This content often includes far-right conspiracy theories and discussions tainted with racism. The newspaper noted that the US presidential election campaign has only reinforced its long-standing view of X as a potentially harmful platform.

Despite archiving its primary X handle, @guardian, the account remains accessible to the public. A message has been posted on the page, advising that the account has been archived and directing followers to The Guardian’s official website for further news updates.

The Guardian said that while its main accounts would be inactive, X users would not be prohibited from sharing its content on the platform. Additionally, the newspaper acknowledged the occasional necessity to embed X content within articles, given the nature of live news reporting.

The Guardian’s journalists are granted the freedom to use X and other social networks personally, even if the newspaper does not hold official accounts on those platforms. The statement maintained that “social media can be an important tool for news organisations” despite X “now playing a diminished role in promoting our work.”

Other news publishers have reported significantly reduced referrals from X and other social media sites in the past couple of years, which has only compounded a more dramatic reduction from Google’s core search function. A number of other publishers are known to be considering their activity on social platforms.

Source: Noah Wire Services