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The British newspaper group The Guardian has decided to stop posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, citing concerns over what it describes as a “toxic media platform.” In a statement to readers, The Guardian pointed to Elon Musk's ownership of the platform and his influence on political discourse, especially evident in his support of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Following Trump’s recent election win, Musk has even been selected to help manage spending cuts in Trump’s incoming administration, which has raised further concerns over X’s role in politics.
While readers can still share The Guardian's articles on X, and the paper may continue embedding some X posts in its news coverage, it stated that the downsides of actively participating on the platform now outweigh the benefits. It particularly criticized X for promoting extreme content, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism.
X users, especially those who subscribe to paid features, reacted harshly, accusing The Guardian of “virtue signaling” and dismissing its stance as “woke propaganda.”
The Guardian's exit underscores a growing trend as more media organizations look for alternatives to X. Meta's Threads platform has steadily expanded, and Bluesky, founded by Twitter's original creator Jack Dorsey, saw a surge in popularity, briefly topping download charts in both the U.K. and U.S. Apple app stores this week. Bluesky's user base has grown rapidly, adding four million users in two months, including a million new users in just the past week following Trump’s win. Despite this growth, it remains small compared to other platforms, with 15 million users globally.
Source: BBC
