"Should I stay (on X) or should I go?” Three causes of journalistic self-censorship on x

Dagoula, Chrysi

Abstract

Twitter is widely considered to be an integral part of journalists’ everyday routines. Its immediacy and instantaneity as well as the networking possibilities the platform affords has benefitted journalism in various ways, particularly with regards to sourcing information and connecting with much wider audiences. However, this is only one side of the coin. How benign or malign Twitter's impact on news journalism is, is still a matter of debate. Because Twitter has also contributed to the devaluing of news journalism by the coarsening of political and civil discourse. One manifestation of this problem is journalistic self-censorship, which is a pervasive problem. As a result, journalists show a hesitance and a scepticism on whether they should go or they should stay on Twitter. Relying on interviews with news journalists in the United Kingdom, this chapter examines the roots of self-censorship on Twitter along with its potential effects on journalism's democratic obligations. To this end, it develops a three-dimensional approach, which identifies three key factors that contribute to journalistic self-censorship on the platform: a) The changing perception of journalists’ imagined audience; b) the blurring of personal and the professional boundaries for journalists who use Twitter; c) issues of online abuse and harassment.

Citation

Dagoula, C. (2023). "Should I stay (on X) or should I go?” Three causes of journalistic self-censorship on x. In J. Steel, & J. Petley (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Freedom of Expression and Censorship. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429262067

• Online Publication Date: Dec 11, 2023
• Publication Date: Dec 11, 2023
• Deposit Date: Nov 23, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 12, 2025
• Publisher: Routledge
• Book Title: The Routledge Companion to Freedom of Expression and Censorship
• Chapter Number: 35
• ISBN: 9780429552687; 9780367205348
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429262067
• Keywords: Twitter, X, self-censorship
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/27595619
• Publisher URL: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429262067-40/stay-go-three-causes-journalistic-self-censorship-chrysi-dagoula?context=ubx&refId=e832493b-0119-4312-b8e7-4fcb35637faa
• Contract Date: Mar 1, 2023