Why Did FitFam El Paso Get Removed From Instagram Again?

Well, it finally happened. FitFam El Paso, the city’s most chaotic, beloved, and accidentally journalistic Instagram account, was taken down. Again. For the fourth time. And while Meta hasn't given a crystal-clear explanation, El Pasoans are left wondering how they’re supposed to know if there’s a tiger loose in Horizon or a brawl unfolding at Union Draft House in real time.

The now-deleted account had nearly 700,000 followers, which might make it the most trusted “news source” in the city. Its backup page, @realfitfamelpaso, is already gaining traction and had nearly 100,000 followers by Monday afternoon. If there’s anything El Paso knows how to do, it’s rally behind a page that posts fight clips, tamale truck updates, and animal abuse reports with the same tone and urgency.

Why So Many in El Paso Get Their News from FitFam

Let’s be honest. Ask any 20 or 30-something in El Paso where they get their news and odds are it’s not the 5 o'clock newscast or a morning paper. It’s FitFam. And not because people don't want high-quality journalism. It’s because people want the truth, or at least the raw, unfiltered, slightly blurry video version of it. Which is always better than a corporate lie.

While traditional media outlets in El Paso are often seen as filtered through corporate interests or political caution, FitFam taps into something more valuable: what’s actually happening. Right now. On your block. With video. Usually through the eyes of regular people sending in their clips!

And it’s not just entertainment. FitFam has posted videos that led to arrests, exposed animal abuse, and forced authorities to take action. So when Instagram pulls the plug, it doesn’t just delete a meme page. It shuts down one of the city’s most reactive and responsive sources of public information.

Why Instagram Removed FitFam El Paso’s Account Again

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A post shared by The Real FitFam El Paso (@realfitfamelpaso)

According to Instagram’s Community Guidelines, content that violates standards on harassment, nudity, violence, misinformation, or privacy can get pulled. Meta relies on a mix of automation and user reports to flag violations. Sometimes, content gets removed even if it doesn't break the rules explicitly but is deemed risky or requires additional context.

FitFam’s co-owner said they don’t even know what rule they broke this time. But it’s not the first time this has happened. In fact, it’s the fourth. “Business as usual,” they said.

That hasn’t stopped followers from reacting. Some flooded the new page’s comments with frustration and confusion. One user summed it up: “Don’t they understand this is our local news channel?”

Social Media Replacing Traditional News in El Paso and Beyond

FitFam’s takedown reflects a much larger trend. More Americans are getting their news from platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube than from television or traditional news websites. A recent report from the Reuters Institute found that over 54 percent of U.S. adults now rely primarily on social media for news.

In El Paso, that number feels even higher. When your city’s most engaged, fastest-reacting, and occasionally funny media outlet is a community-run Instagram page, it’s easy to see why younger generations no longer trust traditional gatekeepers. Pages like FitFam don’t just tell the news. They show it, crowdsource it, and let people decide for themselves what matters.

So yes, FitFam may have been shut down again. But the cameras are still rolling, the videos are still uploading, and El Paso’s most honest news feed isn’t going anywhere. At least, not for long.