News media ‘The Guardian quit ‘X’ on Wednesday, days after US presidential election results, terming it a ‘toxic media platform‘ and accusing its owner, Elon Musk, of using “its influence to shape political discourse”.
“We wanted to let readers know that we will no longer post on any official Guardian editorial accounts on the social media site X (formerly Twitter). We think that the benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives and that resources could be better used promoting our journalism elsewhere,” The Guardian said in a statement.
“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. 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,” it added.
“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,” it added.
Elon Musk has faced widespread criticism regarding the alterations implemented on the former Twitter following his acquisition of the social networking platform in 2022. The entrepreneur and investor, who backed Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, was appointment to lead a new department alongside Vivek Ramaswamy.
US President-elect Donald Trump has announced that Tesla owner Elon Musk and Indian American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, aimed at improving governance and curbing wasteful expenditures.
