No ‘X factor’ — reconciling freedom and accountability
The Guardian’s decision to step away from X may be a first step towards restoring accountability in the public sphere
It is important to understand that the freedom of speech is not a laissez-faire act where anything goes, but a democratically enabling idea that shuns censorship and the curbing of ideas being debated in the public sphere. Recently, the British media outlet, The Guardian, took a decision to stop posting on the social media platform formerly Twitter), from its official handles.

The British legacy media organisation issued a statement that needs to be read carefully. It read: “This is something we have been considering for a while given the often-disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism. The U.S. presidential election campaign served only to underline what we have considered for a long time: that X is a toxic media platform and that its owner, Elon Musk, has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse.”