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Date Published: 18/11/2024

Major Spanish and British newspapers boycott social media platform X

La Vanguardia in Spain and the UK’s The Guardian have described X as “disturbing” and “toxic”

Just a day after British newspaper The Guardian announced it would be closing its account on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Spanish daily La Vanguardia has followed suit. The move comes after the platform’s owner, Elon Musk, was tasked with making the US “more efficient” under newly-elected president Donald Trump.

The Barcelona-based paper said X has become “an echo chamber” full of “conspiracy theories and disinformation” that could have been avoided with “effective and reasonable moderation.” It has therefore decided to stop publishing content on the “disinformation network”.

Elon Musk has courted controversy since he bought Twitter in 2022, with detractors claiming he has done little to combat fake news and has instead encouraged the spread of conspiracy theories and radical groups.

“Hatred against ethnic minorities, misogyny and racism" were among the viral posts which violate human rights, according to La Vanguardia’s statement.

But Musk attracted even more criticism during the US presidential campaign when he openly endorsed Donald Trump, using his personal page of almost 205 million followers to drum up support for the Republican candidate.

For La Vanguardia, the straw that broke the camel’s back was the creation of dozens of fake accounts that were allowed to spring up on X following the DANA disaster in Valencia at the end of October which claimed more than 200 lives. One such account claimed the Spanish government was involved in a major cover-up to hide the fact that thousands of people were killed.

“The growing presence of bots on X has multiplied to the point of ridiculousness,” the paper said, adding that “since Elon Musk came along, X has been filled with toxic and disorienting content in an increasingly overwhelming way.”

Musk is a self-described ‘free speech absolutist’ and he took major issue with Twitter’s censorship rules when he bought the platform. Since taking over, he’s downsized several departments, including the one that oversees content moderation.

The Spanish newspaper says it will continue to follow people, companies and institutions on X to inform readers about important events.

Meanwhile, The Guardian in the UK has accused X of supporting “often disturbing content” and has decided to cease promoting its stories on the platform.

X “is a toxic media platform,” and “its owner, Elon Musk, has been able to use his influence to shape the political discourse,” wrote The Guardian.

Also of interest: Bottled gas prices in Spain to go up again this week

Image: Freepik

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