Topline
Musk urged journalists to directly publish their content on X, formerly known as Twitter, Monday evening amid reports that the platform is testing a change that hides headlines and other text from tweets that link to news articles.
X is reportedly planning to change how news article links appear on the social media platform.
Key Facts
Fortune reported, citing an unnamed source, that the planned change will alter how news articles appear on the platform, as tweets with links will only display the lead image of a news article.
Presently news links shared on X are displayed as “cards” which display the lead image, a headline and a one-line summary.
Following the planned change, the lead image will still be clickable and link back to the article, but publishers will need to manually add any text they want to appear on a tweet, the report adds.
According to the report, the change is directly being pushed by Musk, who believes it will “help curb clickbait” and “reduce the height of tweets.”
Crucial Quote
The reported change comes as Musk attempts to get more creators and journalists to publish directly on X in exchange for a share of ad revenue and subscriptions. On Monday Musk tweeted: “If you’re a journalist who wants more freedom to write and a higher income, then publish directly on this platform!”
Further Reading
Elon Musk plans to remove headlines from news articles shared on X (Fortune)