British information writer the Guardian mentioned on Wednesday (Nov 13) it should not submit on X, citing “disturbing content material” on the social media platform, together with racism and conspiracy theories.
The left-leaning Guardian, which has 10.7 million followers on X, turns into the primary giant UK media firm to retreat from the platform that Elon Musk bought in 2022.
Critics say Musk’s hands-off strategy has allowed lies and hate speech to unfold on the platform previously often known as Twitter.
“We expect that the advantages of being on X are actually outweighed by the negatives and that sources could possibly be higher used selling our journalism elsewhere,” the Guardian mentioned in an editorial printed on its web site.
“That is one thing now we have been contemplating for some time given the customarily disturbing content material promoted or discovered on the platform, together with far-right conspiracy theories and racism.”
“The US presidential election marketing campaign served solely to underline what now we have thought of for a very long time: That X is a poisonous media platform and that its proprietor, Elon Musk, has been in a position to make use of its affect to form political discourse.”
The paper’s most important X deal with – @guardian – was nonetheless accessible on Wednesday however a message on it suggested “this account has been archived” whereas redirecting guests to its web site.
The Guardian famous that X customers would nonetheless be capable to share its articles and that it will nonetheless “sometimes embed content material from X” inside its articles given “the character of dwell information reporting”.
It additionally mentioned its reporters would nonetheless be capable to use the location and different social networks on which the paper doesn’t have an account.
“Social media could be an necessary device for information organisations and assist us to achieve new audiences however, at this level, X now performs a diminished function in selling our work,” the Guardian added.