The Guardian Stops Posting on X, Citing Concerns Over "Toxic" Platform and Political Influence
On November 13, The Guardian announced it would cease to post on Musk’s micro-blogging platform, labelling it as “Toxic X” over concerns of the platform’s environment, including the proliferation of far-right conspiracy theories and racism.
The newspaper expressed its belief that X has become a space for disturbing content, blaming Elon Musk for using the platform to influence political discourse during the US presidential election.
The Guardian and X controversy
The Guardian informed X users that its decision to stop posting had been under consideration for some time.
The British news outlet cited that Elon musk’s X social media platform is reportedly censored. They added that Musk’s influence grew after supporting Trump’s views and being appointed him as head Department of Government Efficiency in the new administration.
Despite ceasing posts on X, The Guardian will allow users to share its articles on the platform and reporters to use X for news gathering purposes. The newspaper also confirmed it would continue embedding X posts in coverage of major global events.
Toxic X Becoming a Major Concern
If a media organization leaves X then it highlights concerns over promoted content like far-right extremism, described as disturbingly toxic, making the platform’s negatives outweigh its benefits.
The Guardian, long branded as “the world’s leading liberal voice,” stressed its commitment to adversarial journalism by distancing itself from toxic X.
The Guardian Elon musk dispute comes at a time when X faces criticism for permitting harmful content and misinformation to spread with critics arguing that inadequate content moderation could affect the X growth.
What’s Next for X?
The Guardian’s departure from X questions the platform’s future, especially as competitors like Meta’s Threads and Bluesky gain traction. As X faces criticism and competition, the media organization leaves X event to form a shift in the social media landscape.
Elon Musk has a history of responding to criticism with sarcasm and dismissiveness. For instance, when The Guardian announced its departure from X, the tech billionaire labeled the outlet “irrelevant” and a “propaganda machine.”
Given his patterns, it’s likely Musk would maintain a similar tone in future comments.
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