The Guardian will no longer post content on Elon Musk‘s X, calling the social media platform “toxic” for the prevalence of conspiracy theories and for its owner’s ability to use it to “shape political discourse.”
The Guardian has more than 80 accounts on X with 27 million followers.
“We think that the benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives and that resources could be better used promoting our journalism elsewhere,” the publication said in a note to readers.
X users will still be able to share articles, and reporters will still be able to use the site for newsgathering purposes.
“The U.S. presidential election 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,” The Guardian said.
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The Guardian’s exit from X follows another major media brand, NPR, which dropped its accounts last year after Musk labeled it as “state-affiliated media.” Although Musk has deemed himself a “free speech absolutist,” he has routinely attacked news outlets for stories he doesn’t like, deceptively claimed that mainstream publications tried to downplay the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, and has sued advertisers for shunning the platform.
“Social media can be an important too for news organizations and help us to reach new audiences but, at this point, X now plays a diminished role in promoting our work,” The Guardian said.
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