LONDON, Nov 14: The Guardian has decided to pull its official accounts off Elon Musk’s X platform, citing growing concerns over “often disturbing content” like far-right conspiracy theories and racism.
After years of debate, the recent handling of U.S. election coverage pushed the publication to step away, claiming that the negatives now outweigh any benefit of staying active on the platform, formerly known as Twitter.
The Guardian’s Statement
“We will no longer post on any official Guardian editorial accounts on the social media site X,” the Guardian announced, noting that while its articles can still be shared by users on X, its focus will shift to directing readers to theguardian.com.
“Social media can be an important tool for news organizations and help us to reach new audiences but at this point X now plays a diminished role in promoting our work.”
“Our journalism is available and open to all on our website and we would prefer people to come to theguardian.com and support our work there,” the Guardian said.
Other Publications That Left X
The Guardian, with over 80 accounts and a 27-million-following, joins other notable names like NPR, PBS, the Berlin Film Festival, and North Wales Police in distancing themselves from X.
They cite increasing hate speech and Musk’s platform management, which critics say has leaned toward controversial figures.
Musk, who calls himself a “free speech absolutist,” recently restored accounts of figures like conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Despite the official exit, Guardian reporters are still allowed to use X for gathering news under the organization’s social media guidelines.
Elon Musk Responds
Responding to the announcement, Musk posted on X that the Guardian was “irrelevant” and a “laboriously vile propaganda machine”.
