On Oct. 5, 2023, a consumer on X named Armand Domalewski posted that the social media platform’s proprietor, Elon Musk, had introduced his endorsement of U.S. President Joe Biden for a second time period within the White Home.

“Elon Musk endorses Joe Biden for re-election,” the put up learn alongside an image of Musk smiling.

Nonetheless, this information was not true. Domalewski had created the put up (archived) as considerably of a satirical instance of a current determination made by X that removes seen headlines from posts that comprise hyperlinks.

The hyperlink within the put up, which was solely displayed as “Fortune.com,” led to an article with a headline that would solely be learn if customers visited the web site. That headline: “Elon Musk plans to take away headlines from information articles shared on X.”

Musk beforehand posted (archived) that the choice to take away headlines got here straight from him and that he believed the change “will vastly enhance the esthetics” of posts.

Domalewski informed us by way of a DM on X, “I feel it’s telling that despite the fact that I made what appeared to me to be a particularly clearly joke, there have been nonetheless a not insignificant quantity of people that accepted it at face worth. That appears…unhealthy.”

In one other certainly one of his examples, Domalewski posted (archived), “Ellen Musk, previously Elon, comes out as transgender.”

The picture displayed solely “Axios.com,” and once more, the headline for the article wasn’t seen. As soon as the picture was clicked, customers would see that the headline on Axios.com learn, “Musk says X discourages hyperlinks in posts.”

Domalewski continued: “An enormous purpose why folks keep on this platform is for information. If individuals who write the information don’t have any incentive to put up right here, it’ll strangle the standard of the platform.”

He additionally known as the choice by X “annoying,” saying, “I’ve to click on on an article hyperlink to even discover out what it is about. Simply… why?”

A distinct X consumer named @ACABylonBee additionally created a put up (archived) to show how simply customers is perhaps misled with an article’s headline now not being seen. The put up learn, “Elon Musk discovered lifeless at Twitter HQ of obvious suicide.”

This put up led to the identical Fortune.com article additionally utilized by Domalewski. In different phrases, no, Musk hadn’t endorsed Biden, come out as transgender or died of suicide.

Some readers may surprise what the removing of seen headlines may imply for the way forward for X, that’s, if the coverage is not reversed within the close to future.

The Related Press reported about how totally different of a world the social media platform has develop into for journalists who want to carry information to the platform’s customers:

Beneath Twitter’s earlier management, journalists — regardless of how small their outlet — may obtain a blue checkmark subsequent to their username that verified they have been who they mentioned they have been. Celebrities and different public figures may additionally obtain a verification. That modified when Musk ended the verification course of and Twitter began doling out blue checkmarks to anybody who wished one — with out verifying their identification — so long as they pay a month-to-month subscription payment.

Musk has additionally gutted the workforce that had been accountable for moderating the content material flowing throughout the platform, quickly suspended accounts of journalists and has appeared to throttle, or decelerate entry to hyperlinks, to media websites similar to The New York Occasions.

Ben Collins, a senior reporter for NBC Information who has written extensively about on-line disinformation efforts, posted of X’s determination to take away headlines from posts, “We’re in an info struggle and data is dropping — as a result of the one individuals who know we’re in a single try to kill it.”