The Guardian ceases posting on X, citing “toxic” platform environment

The Guardian, a British newspaper organization, has declared its cessation of posting on X, previously known as Twitter, citing the platform’s transformation into “a toxic media platform.” In a communication addressed to its readership, the Guardian stated that the recent US presidential election “underlined” its apprehensions regarding X’s owner, Elon Musk, and his capacity to utilize the platform to “shape political discourse.” Mr. Musk was a strong supporter of Donald Trump and has since been assigned a position focused on reducing government expenditure within the forthcoming administration. The BBC reached out to X to request a statement. The Guardian clarified that users would retain the ability to share its articles, and it would probably persist in embedding X posts within its reporting on global occurrences. Furthermore, it indicated that its journalists would be permitted to continue utilizing the platform “for news-gathering purposes.” However, the organization asserted that the “benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives.” It further elaborated, stating, “This is something we have been considering for a while given the often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism.” The announcement was also shared on X, prompting a hostile reaction from some users, particularly those who pay for enhanced reply visibility, who labeled the Guardian’s move as “woke propaganda” and “virtue signalling.” Given that Mr. Musk and the Guardian hold divergent political stances, the newspaper’s reaction to his and X’s growing association with Trump is not unexpected. Nevertheless, it could also be contended that the outcome of the election presents an opportunity for the publication, which identifies itself as “the world’s leading liberal voice.” The Guardian is positioning itself as a crucial component of the “resistance” against Donald Trump, leveraging the US election to emphasize its status as a media organization without a billionaire owner, concurrently soliciting donations from its readership. On the day following the election, readers committed over $1.8 million (£1.4 million), establishing a new record for a single day’s pledges. Ben Mullin, a media reporter for The New York Times, characterized the media group’s fundraising efforts as “a sign that some outlets are tapping a surge of enthusiasm for adversarial journalism post-election.” The Guardian’s withdrawal is also anticipated to heighten inquiries regarding potential similar actions by other entities. Competitors to X already seem to be gaining an advantage. Meta’s Threads has sustained its growth, and Bluesky, established by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, momentarily reached the top of download rankings in both the UK and US Apple App Stores. Its user base has expanded by four million over a two-month period, and Bluesky announced in a Tuesday post that it acquired one million new users in the week following Trump’s victory. Nevertheless, its global user count of 15 million means it remains relatively small. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.