"Elon Musk's two years at the helm of 'X' have been a two-year nightmare for journalistic information on this platform. Press freedom and the public’s right to reliable information have been virtually eliminated" - RSF
This statement was originally published on rsf.org on 25 October 2024.
On the second anniversary of Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, which as X has become emblematic of online platform mismanagement and its devastating impact on the reliability of information and democracy, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is issuing eight proposals for ending the threat it poses to journalism.
Since Musk took control of Twitter on 28 October 2022, the platform he renamed X has seen a series of decisions that have thrown its ecosystem into turmoil and subjected journalists, media and access to information to a rough ride.
The suppression of account verification and its replacement by the ability to pay for more visibility has facilitated the emergence of an elite corps of misinformation champions, with 34% of mendacious or misleading content on X coming from just 10 accounts. The restoration of accounts previously suspended for disinformation and lay-offs in teams in charge of moderating misinformation on the platform have also helped turn X into a fertile terrain for propaganda and disinformation.
The outcome of these policies is an unbearable environment for information and a chatbot called Grok that is fed by such content and is poised to offer fake news whenever a political question is put to it.
In response to this disaster, RSF is proposing eight specific measures for restoring defence of the right to information on X.
Elon Musk’s two years at the helm of X have been a two-year nightmare for journalistic information on this platform. Press freedom and the public’s right to reliable information have been virtually eliminated. All this at the pleasure of an owner who assumes unlimited and unaccountable power over a central tool for accessing reliable information and structuring the global information arena. It is clear that recent regulations such as the European Union’s Digital Services Act are insufficient. It is high time to place an ideological and political neutrality requirement on platforms such as X and subject them to a real accountability. The ball remains in the court of democratic governments, and time is running out.
Anne Bocandé, RSF editorial director
Journalists who had made Twitter their preferred social media for following and commenting on the news are no longer welcome on the platform. As well as being the targets of insults, sometimes from Musk himself, they are also subjected to policies that are tailor-made to restrict content that displeases the owner. The latest measures include the suspension and subsequent restoration of US journalist Ken Klippenstein’s account in a messy sequence that just spread more confusion about the rules enforced on X.
RSF calls for firm measures by governments in response to these excesses. We cannot rely on enlightened platform owners taking the required decisions. It is up to democratic states to take back the power that they have left to the private sector for too long. RSF urges governments to adopt the following eight measures to force platforms to adhere to rules that safeguard information reliability and the free flow of journalistic content online:
Pluralistic information:
Place a neutrality requirement on platforms, with regard to politics, ideology and religion. The flow of information on platforms shapes the public debate. These digital arenas cannot become influence tools serving the personal convictions of their owners.
A “must-be-found obligation” for journalistic content: In accordance with the role it plays in structuring the public arena, a platform must be required to amplify reliable journalistic sources identified on the basis of recognised standards such as the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), launched by RSF. This obligation must be accompanied by clear procedures for ensuring that media and journalists are able to publish content in the public interest without fearing reprisals.
Highlight journalistic content in recommendation algorithms: Adapt algorithms in order to promote journalistic information sources (and at the same time encourage a variety of viewpoints) by using, for example, the JTI standard.
An algorithmic pluralism obligation: Require platforms to reflect a diversity of viewpoints in the selection of news content they offer to their users. This must also apply to the databases of the large language modules they devise.
Traceable information:
Guarantee the origin of information: Reform the account verification system on the basis of objective identity criteria, without associating a verified account with an automatic increase in visibility.
Separate the roles of influencers and journalists: Establish a clear distinction between influential users and journalists so that the public can easily identify the origin of information. Users must clearly know who is posting content and expressing opinions.
Independent procedures:
Independent appeal mechanisms: Establish independent and transparent procedures for appealing against moderation decisions affecting journalists and media, for example, when content is deleted or an account is blocked.
Regular evaluation of the impact on press freedom: Establish regular independent audits to evaluate the impact of platform policies and practices on press freedom and access to information, similar to what the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) requires for “systemic risks.”
We call on governments and regulators to take concrete measures to ensure that – now indispensable – social media stop posing a threat to press freedom and access to quality information. These proposals are not limited to X. They are designed for all major digital platforms that nowadays shape the news and information landscape.