Guardian exits Musk's X, citing conspiracy theories and racism
The Guardian, one of UK's leading news publishers, has announced its exit from the social media platform X. The decision was prompted by concerns over "disturbing content" such as racism and conspiracy theories on the site. The left-leaning publication, which has a massive following of 10.7 million users on X, is the first major UK media outlet to leave the platform since Elon Musk's 2022 takeover.
Guardian criticizes Musk's management of X
Guardian slammed Musk's hands-off approach to running things, saying it has made it easier for misinformation and hate speech to spread on X. In an editorial on its website, the outlet wrote, "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 move wasn't knee-jerk but a culmination of long-standing worries about disturbing content promoted or discovered on the platform.
Guardian labels X as 'toxic media platform'
The Guardian also called X a "toxic media platform" and slammed its owner for using his influence to mold political discourse. This criticism was especially emphasized during the US presidential election campaign. Reacting to The Guardian's exit and criticism, Musk called the news outlet "irrelevant" in a post on X. Although Musk backed Donald Trump in his recent US election win, he insists his approach is in defense of freedom of speech.
X's role in UK's far-right violence
The role of X and other social media platforms was questioned in the UK this year. This came after a spike in far-right and racist violence was sparked by online posts falsely blaming a muslim migrant for an attack in Southport, where three young girls were killed. Reuters reported last month that a British police force had also stopped posting on X, with several more re-evaluating their participation over similar concerns.
UK institutions reconsider their presence on X
Over the past few months, several UK charities, health and educational institutions have announced they will stop posting on X. However, despite the trend, the UK government continues to use the platform for unpaid communications but does not use it for paid advertising. A government source revealed to Reuters last month that the government does advertise on Meta's Instagram and Facebook.
