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X, formerly Twitter, has followed through on Elon Musk’s plan to remove headlines from news articles.
Musk initially stated in August that this change aimed to “greatly improve aesthetics,” but it may also impact the traffic directed to stories shared by news outlets, which are active platform users.
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As of the recent update, only an article’s lead image is visible, and there is no accompanying headline below the picture. While a news outlet’s website address does appear within the image, the absence of headlines in tweets has sparked criticism, with many users finding the platform less functional.
X/Twitter did not provide a comment regarding the specific reasons for this alteration. It’s important to note that news outlets can still offer context for their stories within the text of their tweets.
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Aidan McLaughlin, the editor-in-chief of Mediaite, highlighted an example where the absence of a headline led to a different interpretation of a story, making it appear as if it were an attack on Donald Trump rather than a report on a law clerk involved in the former president’s civil fraud trial.
Don’t think Twitter fully thought through the consequences of this change pic.twitter.com/JQZwEYkeuZ
— Aidan McLaughlin (@aidnmclaughlin) October 5, 2023
While Musk cited aesthetic reasons for these changes, he has also been critical of news media outlets. In August, it was reported that X/Twitter had been intentionally slowing the loading speeds of links to prominent news sources like The New York Times and Reuters, along with platforms like Facebook and Substack. These outlets have faced criticism from Musk, who views them as rivals. After reports of the speed reduction, some of these delays were lifted.
Notably, Musk suspended the accounts of several journalists last year who had reported on a user tracking the movements of his private plane, sparking further controversy surrounding the platform.
Emerson Pearson
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