Prism will no longer be posting on X. Ever since Elon Musk took ownership of Twitter on Oct. 28, 2022, we’ve closely monitored the myriad changes to the platform. Our feeling was that so long as Twitter/X offered an opportunity to connect our readers with our work, we would remain. We witnessed the proliferation of mis- and disinformation and white supremacist vitriol that became rampant on the platform, just as they are on other sites, and we felt that there might be value in staying and sharing our reporting as a kind of resistance. But now, after a turbulent year both online and off, we’ve decided that X no longer serves the purpose we need and represents a harmful threat to our mission and work as a movement journalism outlet. Since the election, in which Musk played an outsized and disturbing role in supporting Trump, platforms like Bluesky have seen a rapid rise in new accounts, and outlets large and small have taken a hit to their X following as more and more followers have decided to deactivate. Many of our readers have been considering similar choices; if that’s you, we wanted to share our reasoning.

If you’ve been on X lately, you’ve seen it—the exponential increase in hate speech, the rise in white supremacist trolling and gleeful bigotry, the slurs protected as free speech while whistleblowers and reporters were silenced for sharing news Musk didn’t want revealed. The platform’s algorithm has become suppressive and openly hostile to news outlets like Prism, and our engaged and insightful readership has migrated and flourished on other platforms. 

This moment has dramatically transformed, for better or for worse, the way we consume news and the very premise of a “newsfeed.” Truthdig recently published the case for abandoning X, stating plainly, “Trying to build a refuge of equality and decency or just plain fun in the middle of a Nazi bar where the house rules change at a whim, at your expense, and nobody besides you and your own buddies can hear you is a commitment to futility. Trying to operate an account as a traditional public service is barely better.” 

We find ourselves in an extreme right-wing lurch that suppresses and censors movement media. There is no ethical consumption under technofascism, but as a digital outlet, we are responsible for meeting readers where they are, and we can still demand better for ourselves and our readers than what X offers.

Here are a few ways we’re rethinking how to read the news and build relationships with outlets rooted in trust and community. 

We see our readership as a coalition, which means we’re not afraid to build intentional, intersectional communities on seemingly disparate platforms to make up a larger whole. We understand that the community of readers we are in relationship with are getting their news from a variety of places—social, email, news aggregator apps, or referrals from other trusted media. Corporate tech monopolies like Meta and X are failing and suffocating honest, rigorous reporting, but many readers still rely on these platforms to get their news. You can still find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit, but we’ve also been migrating and testing new platforms like Bluesky, and we always welcome tips from readers about platforms we should be posting on! We also encourage you to build your own newsfeed by finding us on news aggregators like OptOut, an app that features news exclusively from independent outlets, or by following our work on Newsbreak, Apple News, and Flipboard. Or, go old school and bookmark our homepage! 

We want to have direct, open, and trusting relationships with our readers, and one of the most intimate ways we can do that is through email. We know, we know—not another newsletter! Opting into receiving emails from Prism lets us stay in touch by getting our weekly roundup of news we published during the week, special editions, upcoming events, and updates. We also encourage you to send us feedback via email by contacting hello@prismreports.org. By signing up for Prism’s newsletter, you’ll get first access to news and analysis that makes you think—and act. Developed alongside people on the frontlines of injustice, Prism will help deepen your understanding of the most pressing issues of our time (and we promise not to spam you!).

Readers must create ecosystems of trusted media that are politically aligned. After the election, Movement Media Alliance (MMA) co-founders Prism’s editor-in-chief, Lara Witt, and Truthout’s Editor-at-Large, Maya Schenwar, wrote about how movement media will play a vital role in challenging fascism. Resisting state-sanctioned propaganda and normalized violence through media literacy and transforming how we, as readers committed to collective liberation, consume our news with critical minds are core to the work of movement media. Witt and Schenwar urge readers to consider how, “In the face of rampant conspiracy theories and context-free sound bites, critical readership, viewership, and media participation are ever more important.” 

Part of building a trusted ecosystem means working with our partners at the MMA—a coalition of grassroots-aligned, social justice-driven journalism organizations committed to accurate, transparent, accountable, principled, and just media, and to working collaboratively to amplify our impact. 

Projects of MMA include Media Against Apartheid & Displacement (MAAD), a collaboratively curated media hub site that gathers and presents news and analysis on the ongoing genocide in Gaza, Israeli apartheid and the occupation of Palestine, U.S. complicity, and resistance movements fighting for Palestinian liberation. Responding to the ongoing mass departures of readers from X as a platform and censorship on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and Facebook, Palestinians have urged people to continue to stay committed to the movement. Some have argued that X provided a major platform for people to witness the atrocities of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and it’s critical for us to continue to find ways to stay connected to the work that Palestinian journalists are doing to share their stories across platforms. Check out the full articles on MAAD and our MAAD and MMA starter packs on Bluesky. 

Returning to the words of Witt & Schenwar, we know that “Fascism thrives off of isolation, fear, disinformation, and the silencing of voices of dissent and for liberation. In media, as in all realms, our power lies in connection—particularly connection with other human beings.” The MMA and MAAD give us the linkages required to make a media ecosystem for readers committed to liberation and the information they need to resist increasing fascism. 

Keep movement media independent by providing direct support. As we head into the next era of fighting fascism and confronting the damage that mainstream media does to marginalized communities through propaganda, we need independent outlets who remain steadfastly committed to truth and justice. By becoming a member with a monthly donation of as little as $1/month, you can join the growing ranks of movement media that is accountable to liberation and fighting for a world in which we’re all free. If you’re unable to commit to a monthly membership, a one-time donation is invaluable to our collective efforts. 

Twitter/X has often been referred to as a place, but it isn’t one; it’s a tool, and an increasingly unpleasant and useless one at that. Our place isn’t a platform; our place is in solidarity with our readers and the communities we serve, wherever we may find them. That hasn’t changed. There are so many relationships we’ve cultivated on social media that matter to us deeply—with marginalized communities, with engaged readers, with grassroots organizers and organizations, with you—and we have no intention of abandoning or neglecting those relationships. Our corner of the internet, our digital neighborhood, is more vibrant and resilient and robust than one site. We remain your digital neighbors, and we remain delighted and honored to work in community with you.