Spain’s La Vanguardia Joins The Guardian In Leaving X Over "Toxic Content"

Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia announced it will stop posting on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, citing concerns about disinformation and toxic content. Reuters journalist Inti Laudario reported.

La Vanguardia stated it plans to suspend its accounts while allowing its journalists to maintain personal profiles. I Photo: PepPepet Wikimedia Commons

The Barcelona-based publication, Spain’s fourth most-read newspaper for general news, stated it plans to suspend its accounts while allowing its journalists to maintain personal profiles.

Editor Jordi Juan, who has already deactivated his account, criticized X as an "echo chamber" for conspiracy theories and disinformation.

The move follows The Guardian, which left the platform citing increased racism and the proliferation of conspiracy theories. In a leader article, La Vanguardia noted that content violating human rights—including racism, misogyny, and hatred toward minorities—has flourished under X’s moderation policies since Elon Musk acquired the platform in 2022.

The paper also referenced recent events, including disinformation spread by bots about floods in Valencia and President-elect Donald Trump's decision to appoint Musk as head of a new Department of Government Efficiency, as motivations for their decision to leave.

La Vanguardia has 1.7 million followers on X and highlighted concerns over Musk’s monetization strategies, which reportedly prioritize engagement with controversial content to increase advertising revenue.