Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter has removed headlines from news articles shared by users after the site owner said it would make the posts look better. In a move which might further worsen the already souring relations between the social media platform’s relations with media groups.&nbsp;

<h2>What is the change?</h2>

According to reports the change was first made on Wednesday (Oct 4) for iOS and desktop users. In line with this, links posted on the microblogging platform now appear as the image posted in the article while the text on the bottom left side of the image shows the domain of the link.

Therefore, to access the link the users will now have to click on the image while there is only a slight change to how the images uploaded to the site appear.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-taunts-musk-after-he-posts-meme-mocking-zelensky-641781">Ukraine taunts Elon Musk after he posts meme mocking Zelensky</a>

Notably, while Musk has long targeted “legacy media” and has previously claimed that X is a better source of information, he said that the latest change will “greatly improve the esthetics.”

Media reports about the news and other links appearing only as images with no text first emerged in August. It was after a report by Forbes that the Tesla CEO said that the change is in the works. “This is coming from me directly. Will greatly improve the esthetics,” said Musk.&nbsp;

<h2>Move draws criticism</h2>

A report by the news agency AFP has noted how the change has been introduced gradually this week where users, instead of seeing a headline along with a picture, now see only an image with a small watermark.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/elon-musk-has-an-offer-for-journalists-who-want-to-earn-more-on-x-627721">Elon Musk has an offer for journalists who want to 'earn more' on X</a>

Several users on the microblogging platform have reportedly said that it has become difficult to distinguish between news and other kinds of information.&nbsp;

This has also led many to further raise questions about the trustworthiness of the website after Musk following his $44 billion deal and takeover allowed banned conspiracy theorists and extremists back on the platform.&nbsp;

<h2>X’s souring relationship with media</h2>

Earlier this week, Musk posted, “I almost never read legacy news anymore.” He added, “What’s the point of reading 1,000 words about something that was already posted on X several days ago?”

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/twitter-still-sinking-under-elon-musk-platform-struggles-to-reach-positive-cash-flows-616085">Twitter still sinking under Elon Musk? Platform struggles to reach 'positive cash flows'</a>

Additionally, some media outlets have completely stopped posting on X altogether citing a rise in hate speech and Musk’s behaviour after the takeover, not to mention his reported&nbsp; banning and then eventually reinstating accounts of several journalists.&nbsp;

In August, several media organisations also reported a delay and briefly appeared to put a five-second delay on loading links to news sites to X including Reuters, the New York Times, and so on.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
&nbsp;

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Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter has removed headlines from news articles shared by users after the site owner said it would make the posts look better.

Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter has removed headlines from news articles shared by users after the site owner said it would make the posts look better. In a move which might further worsen the already souring relations between the social media platform’s relations with media groups. What is the change? According to reports the change was first made on Wednesday (Oct 4) for iOS and desktop users. In line with this, links posted on the microblogging platform now appear as the image posted in the article while the text on the bottom left side of the image shows the domain of the link. Therefore, to access the link the users will now have to click on the image while there is only a slight change to how the images uploaded to the site appear. ALSO READ | Ukraine taunts Elon Musk after he posts meme mocking Zelensky Notably, while Musk has long targeted “legacy media” and has previously claimed that X is a better source of information, he said that the latest change will “greatly improve the esthetics.” Media reports about the news and other links appearing only as images with no text first emerged in August. It was after a report by Forbes that the Tesla CEO said that the change is in the works. “This is coming from me directly. Will greatly improve the esthetics,” said Musk. Move draws criticism A report by the news agency AFP has noted how the change has been introduced gradually this week where users, instead of seeing a headline along with a picture, now see only an image with a small watermark. ALSO READ | Elon Musk has an offer for journalists who want to 'earn more' on X Several users on the microblogging platform have reportedly said that it has become difficult to distinguish between news and other kinds of information. This has also led many to further raise questions about the trustworthiness of the website after Musk following his $44 billion deal and takeover allowed banned conspiracy theorists and extremists back on the platform. X’s souring relationship with media Earlier this week, Musk posted, “I almost never read legacy news anymore.” He added, “What’s the point of reading 1,000 words about something that was already posted on X several days ago?” ALSO READ | Twitter still sinking under Elon Musk? Platform struggles to reach 'positive cash flows' Additionally, some media outlets have completely stopped posting on X altogether citing a rise in hate speech and Musk’s behaviour after the takeover, not to mention his reported banning and then eventually reinstating accounts of several journalists. In August, several media organisations also reported a delay and briefly appeared to put a five-second delay on loading links to news sites to X including Reuters, the New York Times, and so on. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter, strips headlines from news story links for ‘aesthetics’

A media outlet owned by the mercenary group Wagner has been shut down, but no reason was given for the closure. Russian news outlets report that a social media troll factory owned by Evgeni Pregosian, the leader of Wagner, has been disbanded.

Wagner's media outlet has been shut; no reason given for the closure

Novaya Gazeta is one of Russia's few remaining independent news outlets. However, the Russian court stripped the publication of its media license and banned it from operating.

Russian court strips off Novaya Gazeta of its media license

As many as 180 media outlets out of 475 have been closed in Afghanistan in the past seven months following the takeover by the Taliban in August this year, local media reported.

On Tuesday, Afghanistan's National House of Journalists in its latest survey said Afghan media outlets have been affected the most after the Taliban takeover as a result only 290 media outlets are active in the war-torn country, Khaama Press reported.

A recent survey released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) indicates that about 43 percent of Afghan media outlets have shut down their operations, leaving almost 60 percent of journalists unemployed. Head of Afghanistan's National House of Journalists Sayed Yaseen Mateen said that reason behind the mass closure of media was economic woes and migration of professional media workers in the country.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghan-diplomats-under-pressure-from-taliban-regime-462072">Afghan diplomats under pressure from Taliban regime</a>

Apart from the economic woes and stoppage of foreign support of the media in Afghanistan, the lack of access to information cited by Afghan journalists is said to be another big issue for media in the country, Khaama Press reported.

On the other hand, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has always denied the claim.They said that the closure of media outlets in Afghanistan is owing to the stoppage of their donors. They denied having restricted Afghan journalists and media, Khaama Press reported.

The situation of human rights in Afghanistan has worsened since the collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban's return to power in August last year.Although the fighting in the country has ended, serious human rights violations continue unabated.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/amid-extreme-poverty-kabul-residents-complain-of-high-price-of-food-materials-462156">Amid extreme poverty, Kabul residents complain of high price of food materials</a>

The Taliban have committed and continue to commit human rights violations including extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary detentions, a massive rollback of the rights of women and girls, censorship of and attacks against the media.

Moreover, people in Afghanistan are also facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis which is being driven by decisions and positions taken by the international community, especially the US, that have blocked Afghanistan from aid funding and access to the global financial system.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: US turning Ukraine into the next Afghanistan?

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-us-turning-ukraine-into-the-next-afghanistan-462323/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

As many as 180 media outlets out of 475 have been closed in Afghanistan in the past seven months following the takeover by the Taliban in August this year, local media reported.

As many as 180 media outlets out of 475 have been closed in Afghanistan in the past seven months following the takeover by the Taliban in August this year, local media reported. On Tuesday, Afghanistan's National House of Journalists in its latest survey said Afghan media outlets have been affected the most after the Taliban takeover as a result only 290 media outlets are active in the war-torn country, Khaama Press reported. A recent survey released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) indicates that about 43 percent of Afghan media outlets have shut down their operations, leaving almost 60 percent of journalists unemployed. Head of Afghanistan's National House of Journalists Sayed Yaseen Mateen said that reason behind the mass closure of media was economic woes and migration of professional media workers in the country. Also read | Afghan diplomats under pressure from Taliban regime Apart from the economic woes and stoppage of foreign support of the media in Afghanistan, the lack of access to information cited by Afghan journalists is said to be another big issue for media in the country, Khaama Press reported. On the other hand, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has always denied the claim.They said that the closure of media outlets in Afghanistan is owing to the stoppage of their donors. They denied having restricted Afghan journalists and media, Khaama Press reported. The situation of human rights in Afghanistan has worsened since the collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban's return to power in August last year.Although the fighting in the country has ended, serious human rights violations continue unabated. Also read | Amid extreme poverty, Kabul residents complain of high price of food materials The Taliban have committed and continue to commit human rights violations including extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary detentions, a massive rollback of the rights of women and girls, censorship of and attacks against the media. Moreover, people in Afghanistan are also facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis which is being driven by decisions and positions taken by the international community, especially the US, that have blocked Afghanistan from aid funding and access to the global financial system. Watch | Gravitas: US turning Ukraine into the next Afghanistan?

180 media outlets closed in past seven months in Afghanistan

Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;pro-democracy media outlet Stand News said on Wednesday it would shut down after police raided its office.

It said on a Facebook post, "As a result of the circumstances, Stand News has immediately halted operations. This includes our website and all social media platforms, which we immediately stopped updating, and will be removed by today. Editor in Chief Mr. Patrick Lam has resigned and all staff at the Stand News have been immediately dismissed."&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-defence-act-says-taiwan-should-be-invited-to-worlds-largest-exercise-next-year-440897" hreflang="en">US defence act says Taiwan should be invited to world's largest exercise next year</a>

Six people from an independent news organisation in Hong Kong have been arrested for "conspiracy to print seditious publications," according to Hong Kong police. Those targeted included both current and past Stand News employees.

More than 200 police officers were dispatched to the publication's headquarters, where search efforts are still ongoing.

In a statement, police claimed they had been given permission to "examine and seize relevant journalistic materials."

According to local media sources, four former board members were also arrested, including Hong Kong pop diva Denise Ho, attorney Margaret Ng, Christine Fang, and Chow Tat-chi.

In a Facebook post, she verified that she had been arrested on the same charge and taken to the Western District Police Station.&nbsp;

After Apple Daily, which shut down in June after its assets were blocked under the national security law, Stand News is the second Hong Kong media company to be targeted by the government. 
 
Watch | Gravitas: A new infection is spreading from Hong Kong's wet markets

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Stand News has been routinely chastised by Hong Kong authorities, with security chief Chris Tang condemning it this month for publishing "biased, disparaging, and demonising" reports on jail conditions.

The city has traditionally been a regional media centre, but as Beijing exercises greater authority over the city, it has slipped down the press freedom rankings in recent years.

Watch | Hong Kong takes a step further in tourism

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According to exiled campaigner Nathan Law, the arrests highlight the government's harassment of journalists and media who "dare to oppose them and express the truth."

Sunny Cheung, a well-known campaigner who is presently seeking asylum in the United States, believes Beijing is suffocating any dissent.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Hong Kong pro-democracy media outlet Stand News said on Wednesday it would shut down after police raided its office. It said on a Facebook post, "As a result of the circumstances, Stand News has immediately halted operations.

Hong Kong pro-democracy media outlet Stand News said on Wednesday it would shut down after police raided its office. It said on a Facebook post, "As a result of the circumstances, Stand News has immediately halted operations. This includes our website and all social media platforms, which we immediately stopped updating, and will be removed by today. Editor in Chief Mr. Patrick Lam has resigned and all staff at the Stand News have been immediately dismissed." Also read | US defence act says Taiwan should be invited to world's largest exercise next year Six people from an independent news organisation in Hong Kong have been arrested for "conspiracy to print seditious publications," according to Hong Kong police. Those targeted included both current and past Stand News employees. More than 200 police officers were dispatched to the publication's headquarters, where search efforts are still ongoing. In a statement, police claimed they had been given permission to "examine and seize relevant journalistic materials." According to local media sources, four former board members were also arrested, including Hong Kong pop diva Denise Ho, attorney Margaret Ng, Christine Fang, and Chow Tat-chi. In a Facebook post, she verified that she had been arrested on the same charge and taken to the Western District Police Station. After Apple Daily, which shut down in June after its assets were blocked under the national security law, Stand News is the second Hong Kong media company to be targeted by the government. Watch | Gravitas: A new infection is spreading from Hong Kong's wet markets Stand News has been routinely chastised by Hong Kong authorities, with security chief Chris Tang condemning it this month for publishing "biased, disparaging, and demonising" reports on jail conditions. The city has traditionally been a regional media centre, but as Beijing exercises greater authority over the city, it has slipped down the press freedom rankings in recent years. Watch | Hong Kong takes a step further in tourism According to exiled campaigner Nathan Law, the arrests highlight the government's harassment of journalists and media who "dare to oppose them and express the truth." Sunny Cheung, a well-known campaigner who is presently seeking asylum in the United States, believes Beijing is suffocating any dissent. (With inputs from agencies)

Local media outlet announces its closure after Hong Kong police raid

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