The Guardian has said it will stop posting from its “official editorial accounts” on X but users can still “share” articles from the daily newspaper on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
British daily newspaper The Guardian said on Wednesday it would no longer be posting content on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
The newspaper posted a statement on its website explaining the decision.
“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 statement began.
‘X is a toxic media platform’
The Guardian said it has become increasingly concerned regarding the “disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism.”
According to the media outlet based in London, this been ramped up further in recent months, as X owner Elon Musk pushed for a return to the White House for Donald Trump.
“The US presidential election campaign 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.”
Diminishing returns
Social media users will still be able to share articles on X from The Guardian. The newspaper also said that it would still “occasionally embed content from X within our article pages.”
But The Guardian said while social media “can be an important tool for news organizations and help us to reach new audiences, X now plays a diminished role in promoting our work.”
In 2022, Musk purchased what was then known as Twitter for $44 billion. He promptly changed the platform’s name to X.
The British newspaper has 10.8 million followers on X and was posting content there just four hours before making the announcement. The account now says it has been “archived.”
Neither X nor Musk have so far responded.
Diminishing returns
Social media users will still be able to share articles on X from The Guardian. The newspaper also said that it would still “occasionally embed content from X within our article pages.”
But The Guardian said while social media “can be an important tool for news organizations and help us to reach new audiences, X now plays a diminished role in promoting our work.”
In 2022, Musk purchased what was then known as Twitter for $44 billion. He promptly changed the platform’s name to X.
The British newspaper has 10.8 million followers on X and was posting content there just four hours before making the announcement. The account now says it has been “archived.”
Neither X nor Musk have so far responded.
Credit: DW News
