The Guardian says it won’t post on ‘toxic media platform’ X; Elon Musk hits back, calls it ‘irrelevant’

The Guardian, a major British newspaper, on Wednesday (Nov 13) said that it has decided to stop posting on the social media platform X, calling it a “toxic media platform.”

The publication in a statement told its readers that it no longer sees value in maintaining its presence on X, explaining that “often disturbing content” has become more common on the platform. "We wanted to let readers know that we will no longer post on any official Guardian editorial accounts on the social media site X," the British media outlet said.

The statement added, "This is something we have been considering for a while given the often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism."

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The Guardian said that the recent United States presidential campaign solidified their concerns."The US presidential election campaign served only to underline what we have considered for a long time: that X is a toxic media platform and that its owner, Elon Musk, has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse."

“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 Guardian added.

While the Guardian will no longer be posting on X, it said that readers can still share Guardian articles on the platform. Additionally, the organisation may still “embed content from X” in articles when necessary for “live news reporting.”

The Guardian has a strong presence on X, managing over 80 accounts with a combined following of around 27 million users.

Its primary handle, @guardian, remained accessible as of Wednesday, though it carried a message stating, “this account has been archived,” with a link directing users to the Guardian’s website.

With its 10.7 million followers on X, the Guardian has become the first prominent UK media outlet to leave the platform since Elon Musk acquired it in 2022 for $44 billion.

Critics argue that Musk’s management has enabled the spread of misinformation and hate speech on X.

In response to the Guardian's departure, Musk reacted dismissively, stating on X, “They are irrelevant.”

In another comment regarding the newspaper's exit, Musk referred to the Guardian as “a laboriously vile propaganda machine.”

(With inputs from agencies)