France: Media outlets and politicians abandon Musk’s X, citing misinformation and propaganda concerns | Representational Image
Paris: Ever since Donald Trump came back to power in the United States on 6 November, a number of French personalities, media houses and other institutions have boycotted the social media platform X.
The boycott is a protest against the alleged spread of misinformation, biased information and animosity on the platform since the close aide of Trump, business magnate Elon Musk acquired X, formerly known as Twitter in 2022.
British newspaper, The Guardian was one of the first few media organizations to exit X on 13 November 2024. Close on its heels came its Swedish, Dagens Nyheter and Spanish La Vanguardia counterparts.
In France, one of the largest French dailies, Ouest France boycotted Musk’s X on 19 November last year, setting an example for other media outlets like Sud Ouest, Le Courrier Picard, The Conversation, La Revue Dessinée, Canard PC, Vert and Médiapart.
Renowned French politicians have also bid adieu to the social platform. Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo was one of the first ones of deactivate her X account in November 2023. Her bold move was emulated by former presidential candidate, Benoît Hamon and by Mathieu Klein, the mayor of Nancy.
The members of the Ecologists party in the city of Rennes followed suit. On Sunday, MP Sandrine Rousseau and leader of Ecologist party, Marine Tondelier urged all MPs to collectively quit X. Tondelier even went up to the extent of saying that the platform should be banned in Europe.
Olivier Faure, the Socialist Party’s secretary general and Member of European Parliament, Raphaël Glucksmann have said that they were contemplating a similar decision. Green senator Yannick Jadot declared on X, “#JeQuitteX on January 20, the day of Donald #Trump’s inauguration. I refuse to engage with a social network that has become a tool for widespread propaganda serving an extreme right, racist, homophobic, sexist, climate skeptic agenda. I refuse to be a passive accomplice to @elonmusk ’s assaults on our democracies! #QuitX”
