Should mainstream media try to wean itself off its dependancy on X [Video]

If there is one resolution that the news media needs to make for 2025 it is to go cold turkey and withdraw from its selfdestructive dependency on X, writes Ian Burrell.

This social platform is used by 1.8m people in Ireland and only a quarter of Britons but has for too long held disproportionate influence over the news-gathering process.

Now, under Elon Musk‘s politically motivated ownership, it seeks to strangle the legacy media which fed and nurtured it.

When Jack Dorsey founded Twitter (now X) in 2006, the platform was instantly seductive to journalists.

They loved its immediacy and their egos were massaged by offers of blue tick verification and the opportunities to grow their personal brands.

Other media sectors moved to the site in lock-step and, crucially, so did Westminster.

The platform was suited to faster news production.

Sources could be found via its direct message function.

As many publishers resorted …