'The Guardian' exits X, citing platform’s “Toxic Environment”
London, Nov 14: The Guardian, a prominent UK-based media outlet, has announced it will no longer post content on its X account (formerly Twitter), citing a “toxic media environment” as the reason for its exit. In a statement on its website, The Guardian said that the “benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives” and indicated that its resources would be better allocated to other platforms that effectively promote its journalism.
The Guardian has raised concerns over “disturbing content” frequently promoted on X, including far-right conspiracy theories and racist rhetoric, which has intensified during the US presidential election campaign. “This is something we have been considering for a while,” the statement read, adding that the platform’s influence under Elon Musk’s ownership has “shaped political discourse” in concerning ways. The statement also mentioned that the media outlet’s presence on X “plays a diminished role in promoting our work,” urging readers to support its journalism directly on its website.
Although The Guardian will stop posting on X, it confirmed that users will still be able to share its stories on the platform. Additionally, the organization may embed posts from X in its articles, and reporters will continue to use the platform for “news-gathering purposes.”
Meanwhile, Elon Musk, widely criticized for his transformation of Twitter into X after acquiring the platform in 2022, was appointed head of a new government department by President-elect Donald Trump. Alongside politician Vivek Ramaswamy, Musk will co-lead the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In his announcement, Trump praised Musk and Ramaswamy as “two wonderful Americans” who will work to “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies” in line with his administration’s “Save America” movement.
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Simran Singh, radio jockey with 7 lakh followers on Instagram, dies by suicide in Gurugram
Gurugram, Dec 26: Simran Singh, a popular freelance radio jockey from Jammu and Kashmir with nearly seven lakh followers on Instagram, allegedly committed suicide in her rented house in Sector 47 here, police said on Thursday.
Her body was found hanging in her room on Wednesday night, they said, adding no suicide note was found from the spot.
The Instagram profile of Simran, known by her fans as "Jammu Ki Dhadkan", shows she last posted a reel on December 13, police said.
According to police, Simran who had 6,82,000 followers on Instagram lived on rent with other friends in house number 58 of Sector 47 here for the last several months.
Sunil Kumar, SHO of Sadar police station, said that they got information at around 9:30pm on Wednesday by a Simran's friend who was staying in the same house.
A police team reached the spot and found the Simran's room locked from inside. The team broke open the door of the room and found her hanging, the SHO said.
Her family members, who reached here after being informed about the incident, said that she was upset for some time, he said.
"We handed over the body to the family members after the postmortem today. A probe is underway," the SHO added.
