The Guardian stops posting on Elon Musk-owned X

Stephen Price

The Guardian has announced that it will no longer post content on X, formerly known as Twitter, describing it as a 'toxic social media platform'.

In an announcement to readers published today (13 November), the news organisation said it considered the benefits of being on the platform were outweighed by the negatives, citing the “often disturbing content” found on it.

The Guardian shared: “We wanted to let readers know that we will no longer post on any official Guardian editorial accounts on the social media site X.”

The Guardian, which currently has over 27 million followers across its accounts, said content on the platform about which it had longstanding concerns included far-right conspiracy theories and racism. It added that the site’s coverage of the US presidential election had crystallised its decision.

It said: “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.”

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"Toxic"

The news outlet added: “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.”

The Guardian said X users would still be able to share their articles across the platform and that posts on X would occasionally be embedded in its work as part of its live news reporting.

Reporters would also be able to continue using the platform for news gathering purposes.

Although the Guardian’s official accounts are withdrawing from X, there will be no restrictions on individual reporters using the site beyond the organisation’s existing social media guidelines.

They shared: “Social media can be an important tool for news organisations and help us to reach new audiences but, at this point, X now plays a diminished role in promoting our work. Our journalism is available and open to all on our website and we would prefer people to come to theguardian.com and support our work there.”

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X Boycott

The Guardian is not alone in its decision to leave X, with many leaving shortly after Elon Musk’s controversial acquisition of the platform back in April 2022.

Anti-hate speech campaign groups and the EU have criticised “free speech absolutist” Musk, the world’s richest person, over content standards on the platform since he bought it for $44bn in 2022.

Reactions to the buyout were mixed, with praise for Musk’s planned reforms and vision for the company, particularly his calls for greater freedom of speech, but criticism over fears of a potential rise in misinformation and disinformation, harassment, and hate speech.

Musk’s changes have allegedly helped contribute to the following impacts:

• Use of the n-word tripling.
• Slurs against gay men rising by 58%.
• Slurs against trans people rising by 62%.
• Anti-Semitic tweets doubling.
• Accounts that consistently publish popular tweets containing links to misinformation receive 44% more interactions.

Within the United States, conservatives have largely supported the acquisition, while many liberals and former X employees have voiced concerns about Musk’s intentions.

Since becoming owner, Musk has faced backlash for his handling of the company and account suspensions, including the December 2022 suspensions of ten journalists.

Trump

Musk threw his public support behind Trump almost immediately after the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania in July.

Musk is the world’s richest man, and spent election night with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

He shared his delight at the win on X, saying: “The people of America gave @realDonaldTrump a crystal clear mandate for change tonight.”

Trump also singled out Mr Musk in his victory speech, spending several minutes praising his rocket firm, Space X.

Mr Musk’s association with the president-elect also boosted the share price of his electric car maker Tesla – and, with it, his net worth, which now stands at an estimated $290bn.