Guardian quits X social media platform, citing racism and conspiracy theories

Nov 13 (Reuters) - British news publisher the Guardian said on Wednesday it will no longer post to X, citing "disturbing content" on the social media platform, including racism and conspiracy theories.

The left-leaning Guardian, which has 10.7 million followers on X, becomes the first large UK media company to retreat from the platform that Elon Musk purchased in 2022.

Critics say Musk's hands-off approach has allowed lies and hate speech to spread on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

"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 said in an editorial published on its website.

"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."

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/guardian-quits-x-social-media-platform-citing-racism-conspiracy-theories-2024-11-13/