Popular British newspaper The Guardian will no longer post or share content from the official account of Elon Musk-owned Platform X (formerly Twitter). However, readers can share the media content on X as before. Calling X a 'toxic platform', the Guardian says it often features 'offensive content'.
The Guardian published a report on the non-posting of X. The platform is said to have a tendency to post content such as extremist conspiracy theories and racism. And that's why they're getting out of X.
Being on the platform is no longer conducive to their journalism, the Guardian said. The press thinks their journalism will be more effective if their content is published elsewhere.
Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in 2022. It was then renamed to X. There are allegations that Musk has created various controversies using the platform.
Musk's support for Trump in the US presidential election and the Republican side have increased the concern of the Guardian.
Meanwhile the X handle '@guardian' is still active. But there is a message posted there. It says 'this account has been archived' and invites visitors to visit their website to view the content. X users can share Guardian reports and sometimes content from X can be embedded for live news reporting. However, reporters can use X and other social media privately.
Note that Guardian has 1.7 million followers on the X platform.
In response to the Guardian's decision, Elon Musk called the Guardian's announcement 'irrelevant' and a 'disgusting propaganda machine'.
Last year, non-profit US media organization National Public Radio (NPR) stopped posting on X after the social media platform was labeled as 'state-affiliated media'. US public TV broadcaster PBS also stopped posting X for the same reason.
The Berlin Film Festival announced that X is leaving this month. Last month, the North Wales Police Force in the UK stopped using X. The force says it is 'no longer consistent with our values'.
Last August, the Royal National Orthopedic Hospital in the US also left X after citing 'an increase in hate speech and abusive comments' on the platform.
References: The Guardian and Deutsche Welle
