The Guardian Wednesday announced it will stop posting content on X, formerly known as Twitter, from its official accounts.
In a statement to readers, the Guardian said the drawbacks of maintaining a presence on Elon Musk’s social media platform now overshadowed the benefits, pointing to the “often disturbing content” prevalent on the site.
The news organisation, which commands more than 80 accounts and approximately 27 million followers on X, expressed particular concern over the platform’s handling of far-right conspiracy theories and racism. The coverage of the US presidential election was cited as the decisive factor in their withdrawal.
“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.
Since Musk’s $44bn acquisition of the platform in 2022, anti-hate speech campaigners and the EU have criticised content moderation standards under his leadership. Musk, who describes himself as a “free speech absolutist”, has reinstated several previously banned accounts, including those of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, influencer Andrew Tate and British far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
The Guardian clarified that whilst official accounts would cease posting, users can still share Guardian articles on X, and journalists may continue using the platform for newsgathering purposes, subject to existing social media guidelines. The organisation also noted that X posts may occasionally be embedded in their live news reporting.
“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”, the Guardian stated, encouraging readers to visit their website directly.
The move follows similar withdrawals from X by other organisations, including NPR and PBS, which departed after being labelled as “state-affiliated media”. The Berlin Film Festival and the North Wales police force have also recently ceased their X activities.
Today, the Donald Trump administration named Elon Musk as its pick to lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).
After Trump’s election, Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, saw his riches increase by $26.5 billion.
It is estimated that he donated over $75 million to pro-Trump groups during the 47th US President’s campaign.
