The Guardian Exits Elon Musk’s X, Citing ‘Toxic Atmosphere’ And ‘Disturbing Content’

Britain’s The Guardian announced on Wednesday that it will cease posting content from its official accounts on Elon Musk’s platform, X, citing the platform’s “toxic media” environment and prevalence of “often disturbing content.”

The newspaper, which has nearly 11 million followers on X, stated on its website, “We think that the benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives.” The publication noted that their “resources could be better used promoting our journalism elsewhere.”

The Guardian clarified that the decision had been under consideration for some time due to concerns about “often disturbing content” on X, including far-right conspiracy theories and racist material. The recent U.S. presidential election, they added, only reinforced their belief that X has become “a toxic media platform” under Musk’s leadership.

The account @guardian remains active but now displays a message that it has been archived, directing followers to its website for news updates.

Although The Guardian will no longer post directly to X, the platform’s users will still be able to share its articles, and the outlet may “occasionally embed content from X” in news articles as needed. Reporters also retain the option to use the platform independently for their work.

The Guardian acknowledged that social media remains a valuable tool for news organizations to engage with new audiences but emphasized that X “now plays a diminished role in promoting our work.”

Musk, who bought X (formerly Twitter) in 2022 for $44 billion, has frequently sparked controversy with his posts and recent political stances. Throughout the U.S. presidential election cycle, Musk expressed strong support for Donald Trump, posting content favoring the Republican candidate and drawing criticism for amplifying divisive messages. Trump recently announced Musk’s upcoming role in his administration as head of the new Department of Government Efficiency, alongside businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.