Not too long ago, much like brands and consumers, journalists used Twitter to keep up with breaking news, source out information, engage with audiences, and as a way of self-promotion and networking. However, the platform’s transformation to X has significantly changed the way it’s being used. The impact of journalists leaving X is particularly interesting from a PR perspective, as PR agencies have long been able to use the platform to keep tabs on relevant journalists and their requests for story ideas, expert quotes, and products to feature in their writing.
Why are journalists leaving X?
Formerly known as Twitter, X has undergone a massive transformation since Elon Musk acquired it in October 2022 for $44 billion and laid off about 80% of Twitter’s workforce, from top executives to engineers, moderators, and marketing teams. The rebranding to X has widely been considered controversial at best and disastrous at worst. This is exemplified by the way many people still outright refuse to stop calling it ‘Twitter’ and how individual users, brands and advertisers currently hesitate to stay active on the platform which has increasingly garnered negative attention – most of which is considered to be a result of relaxed content moderation policies (leading to concerns about misinformation and hate speech) algorithm changes (which were updated to give more visibility to paying users) and the apparent slide of the site’s owner towards divisive far-right politics.
The algorithm’s prioritising of paid users means non-paying journalists and news organizations struggle to gain the same reach as before. The replacement of the old verification badge system with paid ones has led to an increase in impersonation and fake accounts, making it harder for users to distinguish between credible journalists and misinformation spreaders. The Community Notes -function, which now plays a role in verifying posts, is widely seen as unreliable. Increased harassment on the platform has led to some journalists posting less frequently or more cautiously, and some credible news outlets and journalist organisations have already left or reduced their presence due to concerns over platform credibility.
What comes next?
So, it’s become more difficult for journalists and those who work within their orbit – like PR agencies – to gain traction on the platform. But what’s next for those who are leaving X behind? Here are a few possible options:
- A switch to alternative platforms
While for some journalists X is still essential for breaking news and networking, many are diversifying by shifting to alternative platforms for breaking news – the likes of Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, LinkedIn and even WhatsApp have been pitched as the replacement to Twitter. As of now, there isn’t a single platform that has fully replaced Twitter in usefulness for journalists and PR professionals – but clearly there are several tech companies that are actively competing against each other for the role.
- Journalism could move away from social media
We could also see the importance of social media for journalism shifting as a whole, with a mix of platforms playing different roles rather than one of them taking over completely. If the decline of X continues and no single alternative takes over, journalists (and PR agencies alongside them) might begin to rely less on social media for news distribution and move toward other digital spaces – like WhatsApp and Telegram groups, Discord servers, and Reddit, which is already a major source for crowdsourced news and discussions. Perhaps journalists and news outlets of the future will focus more on driving direct traffic to their websites or invest in newsletters to build direct relationships with readers, instead of relying on social media clicks?
- The wild card option
In our current environment this third option sounds the most unlikely, but for those who truly miss Twitter, it might be the kind of wishful thinking that’s worth holding on to: a new owner. Seeing as the changes to the platform all seem to begin and end with one person, we cannot completely dismiss the idea that a potential new boss in the X headquarters could take over and bring the social media giant back from the brink of disaster, restoring Twitter to its former glory (just recently, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman replied to Musk’s offer to buy his business for $97.4 billion by stating they’d happily purchase X for the price of $9.74 billion – but Musk wasn’t amused). However, in practice this kind of development might be impossible. The changes to the staff, algorithm and policies, and the fact the Twitter brand has been consciously erased over time, would all be difficult to reverse. Musk is highly unpredictable, so it is always possible that he could pivot should X continue to struggle financially, and some other tech giant or media company could acquire the platform – but we’ll just have to wait and see.
While the last option might sound appealing, it’s more likely that Twitter’s culture, user base, and role in journalism have already changed too much; even if the old name, logo, and policies were restored, it just wouldn’t be the same. Therefore, the journalists leaving X will now have to migrate somewhere else – and rest assured, wherever they go, the PR professionals will follow.
