The Guardian Declares Suspension of X Posts... "Decision Solidified by US Presidential Election"

Guardian: "X, a Toxic Media Platform"
Citing Reasons Such as Far-Right Conspiracy Theories and Promotion of Racism

The UK's leading daily newspaper The Guardian announced that it will no longer post content on the social networking service X (formerly Twitter), operated by Elon Musk. This announcement came less than a day after the news that Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, had appointed Musk as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency.

Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter). Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News.

On the 13th (local time), The Guardian stated, "After determining that the disadvantages of staying on X outweigh the advantages, we have decided not to use our official account." The progressive-leaning media outlet operates over 80 accounts on X, with followers totaling 27 million. However, it said, "We have been considering stopping posting after frequently seeing concerning content such as far-right conspiracy theories and racism on X," and that this decision was made after long deliberation.

The Guardian also said it solidified its decision after observing how X handled the recent U.S. presidential election campaign. The outlet explained, "Through this U.S. election, X has proven to be a harmful media platform, and concerns have been reinforced that its owner, Musk, can influence the shaping of political discourse." However, it added that X users can continue to share Guardian articles on X, and its journalists can still use X for information gathering purposes.

This announcement from The Guardian came after news broke that Musk had been nominated as the head of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency in Donald Trump's second administration. The BBC commented, "Since Musk and The Guardian have very different political leanings, it is not surprising that The Guardian would respond this way to Musk and X, who are closely aligned with Trump."

After acquiring Twitter in 2022, Musk changed the company name to X the following year and has since relaxed regulations such as internal post restrictions on the service. The Guardian pointed out that accounts that had been problematic on X, including conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate, and far-right activist Tommy Robinson, were restored.

On the same day, Musk replied on X to a Telegraph post reporting The Guardian’s decision to stop posting content, saying, "They (The Guardian) don’t matter." He also responded to other posts criticizing The Guardian’s cessation of X use by calling it a "vile propaganda machine" and described it as a "dying publication," revealing his displeasure.