It is Nothing More Than a Cesspool

I have a confession to make. I’m a ghost on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

I haven't actively posted on X in over a year, and my engagement for several years before that was sparse at best. In my world, it had become a tool of necessity, not choice. The only time I’d find myself navigating to the site is when someone sent me a tip about a post from a journalist or a public figure—a digital breadcrumb I had to follow for work. Other than that, I stayed away. I’d heard the stories about its decline, but I largely remained insulated from the day-to-day reality.

Until today.

A link directed me to X, and after viewing the specific post, I made the mistake of scrolling down my main feed. What I saw in the subsequent 30 seconds was genuinely disgusting.

It wasn't just one or two questionable posts that slipped through the algorithmic cracks. It was a firehose of filth. Of the first ten posts that the platform's "For You" algorithm decided to serve up to me, at least eight were overtly racist.

I saw a post celebrating a video of what was described as white truckers beating a Black trucker. I saw another post that took the reprehensible actions of a few individuals and used them to condemn the entire Black community. Post after post was a cascade of unvarnished, hate-filled garbage. There was no nuance, no debate—just raw, vitriolic racism being actively promoted and pushed onto my screen.

I felt physically dirty. After just a few moments of scrolling, I had this visceral reaction of needing to wash the digital grime off. I’d heard people say the platform had gotten bad, but I had no earthly idea it was this bad. This wasn't the edgy, provocative "free speech" zone some proponents claim it to be. This was a cesspool.

Putting on my old News Director hat for a moment, the experience was alarming from a professional standpoint. The currency of a news organization is trust and credibility. Every single action a station and its talent takes either builds or erodes that trust.

How can a news brand, in good conscience, maintain a presence on a platform that algorithmically promotes this kind of content? The risk of brand association is immense. Having your station’s logo and reporting appear next to posts that celebrate violence and peddle racial hatred is not just a bad look; it's a fundamental betrayal of journalistic ethics and community standards.

If I were running a newsroom today, I would issue an immediate directive: All talent is to cease posting on station-branded X accounts. The platform is no longer a neutral town square for breaking news and community engagement. It has become a toxic space where the loudest, most hateful voices are amplified. The potential for a fleeting traffic bump is not worth the cost of being associated with such a vile environment.

I know what Twitter was. It was a vital tool for breaking news, for connecting with sources, for holding power to account. But we have to be honest about what X is now. Based on my brief, nauseating return today, it’s a place where hate is not just tolerated but actively curated and delivered to your screen.

It really has gotten that bad.