NewsGuard, which tracks media trends, found that X (formerly Twitter) users engaged more with foreign state-aligned media after "state-affiliated" designations were removed. After this classification was removed, interaction with English-language content from RT, China Daily, PressTV, and others increased by 70% within 90 days, the report revealed.
Russia's RT saw the biggest increase in interaction, with a nearly two-fold increase in likes and reposts from 1.3 million to 2.5 million. Engagement on TASS in Russia increased by 63%, on PressTV in Iran by 97%, and on Global Times in China by 26%, according to Gizmodo.
While the US government has alleged that these publications are propaganda sources, other people have contested assertions that they lack editorial independence. Although many of these media outlets get government support, they have long faced criticism for acting as the government's spokesman.
The Impact of Elon Musk's X Policy Change
Elon Musk oversaw the platform's abandonment of its "state-affiliated" media labeling policy after taking over Twitter (now X). According to the NewsGuard investigation, X's algorithm is now amplifying this information to reach a wider audience.
Before Musk's leadership, Twitter had declared that "state-affiliated" media material could not be algorithmically boosted, but NewsGuard's study suggests a shift that now permits such items to appear in users' "For You" feeds.
Analysts contend that this change has reduced reader openness and facilitated the spread of false information on the network.
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Elon Musk did not create the problems with false information and "fake news" on X. Misinformation has long been a problem for social media sites, much of which does not come from reliable news sources. Numerous celebrities, political groups, governmental organizations, and covert contractors have manipulated the site's content using armies of bots and trolls.
Recent revelations indicate that Twitter actively promoted US propaganda in the Middle East before media outlets were designated as "state-affiliated." The platform's information neutrality at the time is called into question by this history.
EU Calls on X to Fight Disinformation
Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) has asked for adherence to new legislation fighting false news and Russian propaganda and raised worries about misinformation on X, particularly in the run-up to important elections.
According to The Guardian, the EU's first analysis of posts prohibited under the Digital Services Act (DSA) indicated that X, formerly Twitter, has the most disinformation posts, while Facebook was the second most common offender since August.
The EU report also highlights efforts made by major social media platforms to thwart misinformation, including removing millions of false accounts from TikTok and LinkedIn, as well as signing a code of conduct by Facebook and other tech companies to comply with new EU legislation.
EU Commissioner Vra Jourová stressed that social media platforms like X still have to abide by the laws specified in the new legislation or risk being banned across the EU. In the lead-up to impending elections in Slovakia and Poland, the EU is still worried about Russian disinformation tactics, per Bloomberg.
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