The Guardian, a prominent British news outlet, announced on Wednesday that it will cease posting content on the X platform, previously known as Twitter. The decision comes after the publication expressed concern over the platform’s increasing prevalence of harmful material, such as racism and conspiracy theories. With 10.7 million followers, The Guardian becomes the first major UK media organization to withdraw from X since Elon Musk acquired the platform in 2022.
The left-wing newspaper cited the spread of disinformation and hate speech under Musk’s lax moderation policies as key factors behind its move. In a statement, The Guardian explained that the drawbacks of remaining on X now outweigh the potential benefits, adding that the resources could be better allocated to advancing their journalistic efforts on other platforms.
Musk swiftly responded to the announcement, dismissing the Guardian’s departure with a tweet, calling the publication “irrelevant.”
This departure follows growing criticism of X’s role in enabling the spread of harmful content, particularly far-right narratives and racist rhetoric. It also comes after a year of increased scrutiny on social media platforms in the UK, especially after the spread of false claims linking a tragic attack in Southport to Islamist migrants, which fueled further racist violence.
The British police and several other organizations, including charities and educational institutions, have also reassessed their engagement with X in recent months. Meanwhile, the UK government continues to use the platform, though it refrains from utilizing it for paid advertisements, instead opting to advertise on Meta’s platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
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