Le Monde, a prominent French newspaper, has decided to leave Elon Musk’s X social media platform due to the billionaire’s political alignment with Donald Trump. In an editorial published in both French and English, Le Monde’s editor-in-chief Jérôme Fenoglio expressed concerns about the close relationship between tech leaders like Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg with Trump, which Fenoglio believes poses a significant threat to access to reliable information.
Le Monde had previously automated posts on X, but the newspaper, with 11 million followers on its French account, has ceased all activity on the platform. Fenoglio stated that Le Monde will also advise its journalists to do the same, while increasing their presence on the growing platform Bluesky. The editorial also highlighted a heightened vigilance on other platforms, such as TikTok and Meta, following concerning statements made by Zuckerberg.
Fenoglio criticized Musk for turning X into a tool for his political agenda, aligning closely with the far-right and using it to pressure competitors and social-democratic governments in Europe. This approach has led Le Monde to reduce its presence on X to a minimum, citing the negative impact of Musk’s activism and ties to the Trump administration.
Musk’s controversial actions, including attacks on European leaders and interference in their countries’ affairs, have sparked backlash in countries like the U.K., France, Germany, and Ireland. Le Monde’s decision to leave X follows a similar move by The Guardian, a leading U.K. newspaper, and the European Federation of Journalists, which represents hundreds of thousands of journalists worldwide.
Overall, Le Monde’s departure from X reflects growing concerns about the platform’s role in spreading misinformation and propaganda under Musk’s ownership. This shift towards alternative platforms like Bluesky demonstrates a commitment to upholding journalistic integrity and providing reliable information to the public.
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