X Is Allegedly Limiting User Reach to Posts That Link to the New York Times

Recent indicates a significant drop in engagement for public posts linked to the New York Times (NYT) website on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. This decline, which began in late July, seems to be exclusive to the NYT. In contrast, other major news outlets such as CNN, the Washington Post, and the BBC have not experienced similar downturns in engagement. Interestingly, the New York Times’ reach remains consistent on other social media platforms like Facebook.

Previous Incidents with X

This isn’t the first instance where X has been under scrutiny for potentially affecting user engagement since Elon Musk took control of the social media giant. In August, reports emerged that X was deliberately slowing down links to several websites, including Mastodon, Bluesky, Threads, Substack, and notably, the New York Times.

These websites experienced noticeable delays when accessed through X, with some users reporting lags of up to five seconds. Many of these websites have been previously criticized or challenged by Musk, leading to speculation that these delays might be intentional. For instance, Musk had previously revoked the New York Times’ verified status on the platform and had made public criticisms of the publication.

Official Responses and Speculations

While the exact cause of the recent drop in engagement remains unclear, the pattern has been recognized by several high-profile figures. Former President Barack Obama’s recent shares of New York Times articles on healthcare costs on X reached fewer than 900,000 users, a stark contrast to his usual reach of over 10 million users for other posts. The New York Times and X have yet to provide official comments on the matter. However, the Times has acknowledged being aware of the issue and is currently investigating the root cause.