Table of Contents
On October 27, 2023, as a sign of protest against the lack of moderation and regulation of the social network fake news, West France had disconnected his publications on the platform. This “strike” was launched by a collective to denounce its abuses. Since then, our various accounts were only marginally populated: the general account thus went from 200 tweets daily to around twenty tweets per week.
In one year, it is clear that nothing has improved: the new measures taken by the network, under the direction of Elon Musk, are on the contrary weakening it further. After the vagueness maintained around “blue stickers” (former certifications indicating the reliability of a source, which have become simple badges for paying users), the network modified the blocking conditions, thus harming user security and offering significant gap in the face of cyberharassment.
The appointment of Elon Musk, opposed to any form of regulation, in Donald Trump’s administration is unlikely to simplify the equation.
For these reasons, and for the defense of the values of our media, attached to democracy, the calming of debate and respect for everyone, the Management Board and the Editor-in-Chief have collectively decided to suspend publications on X, formerly Twitter .
In the current state of affairs, it seems neither judicious nor appropriate to feed this network, as long as serious guarantees are not deployed in the face of disinformation, harassment and violence. Our presence on the platform, which until now was only due to the fierce desire to speak clearly and reliably in the midst of this tumult, unfortunately can no longer resist the tension of the algorithm.
Indeed, the rules of the game are now biased: media refusing to submit to paid offers see their visibility reduced to a trickle, while the authors of questionable publications only have to pay to find a larger audience.
Respect journalism
“How were we able to transform debate tools, which could be so useful to democracy, into infernal machines ignoring the rules of law and ethics? Why this impunity? How can we accept that the Internet is such a lawless zone? » asked the chairman of the board of directors of West FranceFrançois-Xavier Lefranc, in an editorial.
Today, X has turned its back on the media and does not offer the necessary conditions for the peaceful exercise of journalism, as also noted by the British daily The Guardian and Spanish The Vanguard. A bitter and ironic observation, knowing that social networks were above all built largely on the sharing of content developed by third parties.
Through the tensions that remain there and the lack of vigilance in the face of excesses, X also contributes to the poisoning of public debate, which is nevertheless vital to democracy. This situation, which we have deplored for more than a year, has led us to suspend the presence of our media on this network.
What are your thoughts on the decision made by news organizations to withdraw from social media platforms like X due to concerns over disinformation, harassment, and violence? Do you believe that media outlets have a responsibility to remain present on these platforms in order to provide accurate information and maintain a dialogue with their audience despite the potential risks? Are there other steps that X could take to create a more secure and hospitable environment for journalists and media organizations? How do you think the decline of traditional media and the rise of alternative news sources on platforms like X has impacted the quality of information available to the public, and what can be done to address this issue? do you think there are any other social media platforms or technologies that could potentially fill the void left by X’s current stance towards media organizations?
