Major Media and Sports Entities Exit X Over Toxic Content and Hate Speech

In a significant move, Spain’s prominent newspaper La Vanguardia and German Bundesliga club St. Pauli have both announced their departure from the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, citing concerns over toxic content and hate speech.

La Vanguardia, Spain’s fourth most-read newspaper, declared its decision to stop posting on X, criticizing the platform for becoming an “echo chamber” of disinformation and conspiracy theories. The newspaper’s editor, Jordi Juan, highlighted the proliferation of bots and the lack of effective moderation as key reasons for their exit. This decision follows a similar move by the British newspaper, The Guardian, which also left the platform earlier this week due to disturbing content, including racism and conspiracy theories.

Similarly, St. Pauli, known for its alternative fan scene and left-wing supporter base, announced its withdrawal from X, labeling the platform as an “amplifier of hate” that could influence German politics. The club criticized Elon Musk’s management of the platform, accusing it of allowing unchecked spread of racism and conspiracy theories. St. Pauli will now communicate through the BlueSky platform, leaving its historical content on X but ceasing further updates.

These departures underscore growing concerns about the impact of social media platforms on public discourse and the spread of harmful content.