The Guardian, a British newspaper group, has announced it will stop posting on X (formerly Twitter), calling the platform “toxic.” They expressed concerns that the platform, under the ownership of Elon Musk, has been used to influence political discussions, particularly around the US presidential election. Musk, who supports Donald Trump, has a role in the upcoming Trump administration, which further alarmed the newspaper.
While The Guardian will no longer post on X, it clarified that users can still share articles from its site, and its reporters will continue to use the platform for news-gathering. However, the newspaper stated that the negative aspects of being on X now outweigh the benefits, citing disturbing content like far-right conspiracy theories and racism that often appears on the platform.
This decision comes after the election, which may have given The Guardian an opportunity to position itself as a key voice against Trump. The paper raised over $1.8 million in donations the day after the election, showing strong support for its independent, liberal stance.
Meanwhile, rivals to X, like Meta’s Threads and Bluesky (founded by Twitter’s Jack Dorsey), are seeing growth, with Bluesky gaining a million new users in just one week. Despite this, Bluesky remains much smaller than X, with only 15 million users globally.
This shift highlights growing frustration with X’s direction under Musk and signals that other media outlets may follow The Guardian’s lead in distancing themselves from the platform.
Credit: BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg48m5j4zjo