An important Spanish media stops publishing on Elon Mush’s social network X: “it is a toxic and misinformation network”

In a forceful movement that reflects the growing concern about the impact of social networks on society, The Vanguard has announced his retirement from the social networkformerly known as Twitter, citing the proliferation of toxic content, misinformation and conspiracy theories, amplified since the platform’s acquisition by Elon MuskCEO of Tesla Motors, in 2022. This step follows the recent decision of the British newspaper Guardianwhich closed its accounts on X due to the “disruptive effect” of this network on public debate and the growing role of bots in the amplification of radical content.

The director of The Vanguard, Jordi Juanconfirmed the decision in a column published todayhighlighting the “drift” of X towards a platform that, under the influence of Musk, allows the circulation of hate speech, conspiracy theories and content that challenges basic democratic and ethical principles. Juan highlighted that, although the newspaper will keep track of relevant accounts and events on X to inform its readers, it has decided not to contribute traffic to a channel “with high potential for manipulation” that affects public debate.

The decision of The Vanguard coincides with the recent announcement of donald trump about the inclusion of Elon Musk in the newly created United States Department of Government Efficiency, along with figures such as Vivek Ramaswamyformer Republican candidate, in a new strategy to reduce state bureaucracy. This political collaboration by Musk reinforces criticism about his influence on X and its use as a platform to amplify far-right political messages.

Since Musk acquired the social network in October 2022, changes have been implemented that, according to Juan, facilitate the proliferation of fake accounts and bots that distort public perception of facts. Added to this are recent alterations in the terms of use of the platform, allowing graphic and violent content that, according to critics such as the historian Yuval Noah Harariconsolidate an online environment “controlled by algorithms and bots” that decides which voices to give resonance to and which to silence, directly impacting culture and political dynamics.

Among the factors that motivated this departure of The Vanguard There is a lack of effective moderation, which has turned X into a “misinformation ecosystem,” as Harari noted, stating that more than 20% of the content is determined by bots. During the recent DANA crisis in Valencia, a barrage of automated accounts, mostly of Indian origin, actively participated in disinformation about the climate tragedy, manipulating public perception and diverting attention from the severity of the event.

Other media and institutions, from National Public Radio (NPR) in the United States until the Berlin Film Festival, have also chosen to abandon the social network due to the increase in hate speech and the lack of coherence with its ethical values. American public television PBS and the Royal National Orthopedic hospital in the United Kingdom have also stopped participating in X in response to these same problems.

Juan concluded by stating that, although the presence of The Vanguard When X will end, the newsroom journalists will retain the freedom to manage their personal accounts on this network, always under the guidelines of respect for human rights and journalistic ethics.

In this context, the decision of The Vanguard underscores a challenge for social media platforms in the Musk era: restoring trust in an ecosystem where the lines between information and manipulation are increasingly blurred.