AG Andrea Campbell is leaving X, a social media platform that she claims “promotes hate, disinformation, and the exploitation of our kids.”
Campbell has announced that she is ditching accounts for her office and personal use, inviting followers to find her and the Attorney General’s Office on other platforms, including Bluesky, Threads, Facebook and Instagram.
“X has sadly become an app and platform with no accountability and no guardrails,” the AG claimed in a video posted on her account Saturday. “Hate, disinformation, and the exploitation of our children is on the rise. And you saw recently, AI tools on X being used to promote sexualized images of folks, including minors, our children. I can no longer be a part of that.”
“As AG, I’m taking on companies and social media platforms that are not responsible, that are putting profit ahead of our children and above them,” Campbell added. “This is an opportunity to stand up and to do our part to hold everyone accountable who is harming our kids. And most importantly, to have responsible technology.”
Critics of the attorney general are slamming her for leaving X, arguing that Campbell is hiding away from their criticism, particularly around her fight with state Auditor Diana DiZoglio over the voter-approved audit of the Legislature.
DiZoglio commented on the AG Office’s post, stating, “See you & [House Speaker] @RonMariano in court.” The auditor has sued Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka for refusing to comply with the legislative audit, which 72% of voters approved in November 2024.
Paul Diego Craney, executive director of state watchdog Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance added: “Protecting politicians, and running from the voters. Checks out.”
Campbell is not the only elected official in the Bay State who has ditched X. The AG joins Boston Mayor Michelle Wu in getting rid of the platform after President Trump won reelection in November 2024.
Bluesky gained 1 million new users in the week after the president won his second term, as some X users, mostly liberals, looked for an alternative platform to post their thoughts and engage with others online.
An abrupt end to a popular political newsletter serving Massachusetts
The last edition of POLITICO’s Massachusetts Playbook came out on Friday, as its editors advertised how the news outlet will “continue covering politics and policy in Washington and elsewhere.” They did not state the reasons behind the newsletter’s end in the Bay State.
Playbook author/reporter Kelly Garrity broke the development.
“Today is also the last edition of Mass. Playbook,” Garrity stated in the newsletter, while announcing that she will be leaving POLITICO to join the Boston Globe. “Thank you times a million to everyone who ever read, emailed sent a tip, answered a late-night call/email/text or submitted a birthday.”
“I was a huge fan of this newsletter before I started at Politico,” Garrity added, “and I feel so lucky to have had the chance to write it.”
The development caught the attention of Massachusetts Congressman Richard Neal, who called the decision “misguided.”
“For many years, the dedicated journalists of Politico have played an important role in delivering timely, reliable news across the Commonwealth,” the Springfield Democrat stated in an X post on Saturday. “While the decision by Politico to end Mass Playbook is misguided, I thank the many reporters and editors whose commitment to the facts through the years has helped keep Massachusetts readers informed on the issues that matter most.”
