Twitter DROPS ‘government-funded’ label from NPR and Canada’s CBC

Twitter has dropped ‘government-funded media’ labels from the accounts of NPR and Canada‘s CBC after the broadcasters boycotted the platform in protest.

The tag was added to the company media accounts earlier this month, leading to both broadcasters announcing that they were going to stop using Twitter over the label as it did not accurately capture their governance structure. 

A ‘state-affiliated media’ tag was originally added to NPR’s profile – the label that was only previously seen associated with Russia and Chinese state news on the platform.

It was later changed to ‘government-funded media’, along with the accounts of the BBC and PBS – but NPR’s accounts still remained silent.

The dispute led Twitter boss Elon Musk into an online spat with the US broadcaster, calling to ‘defund NPR’ and to be stripped of federal funding after the boycott.

Twitter has dropped ‘government-funded media’ labels from the accounts of NPR and Canada’s CBC. Pictured: Musk and security depart in Washington, January 27, 2023

The tag was added to NPR accounts earlier this month, leading to both broadcasters announcing that they were going to stop using Twitter

A label was applied to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Twitter profile saying ’69 percent government-funded’, prompting a boycott from the broadcaster

The disagreement between Musk and the broadcasters also saw Twitter slap Canada’s CBC with a ‘69% government funded’ tag after the media organisation disputed their original label as it was ‘less than 70% government-funded’.

But bosses said the label implied CBC was not editorially-independent, as the tycoon promoted a boycott after flagging its government funding. 

After NPR announced it would stopped using Twitter, CBC shortly followed suit.

The BBC also hit out at Twitter after the ‘government-funded media’ label was attached to the corporation’s official account.

In a BBC interview last week, Musk defended Twitter’s decision and said the social media platform was trying to be ‘accurate’ and would look into amending the label.

‘Our goal is simply to be as truthful and accurate as possible. We’re adjusting the label to be ‘publicly funded’, which I think is perhaps not too objectionable,’ Musk had said.

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Radio New Zealand had also threatened to leave Twitter this week over the ‘government-funded’ label, while Sweden’s public Sveriges Radio said it would stop tweeting.

With all the tags gone by Friday, it is unclear if the broadcasters will return to the platform. 

BBC, as well as PBS, was also branded with a ‘government-funded media’ before being removed

NPR explained its decision to stop using Twitter earlier this month, saying it ‘stands for freedom of speech [and] holding the powerful accountable’

The new update also saw the ‘state-affiliated media’ tag dropped from China’s official Xinhua news agency and RT from Russia.

Prior to Musk’s purchase of the social media giant, Twitter had long labelled accounts linked to state media or government officials, especially from China and Russia.

It said that policy focused on entities that ‘are the official voice of the nation state abroad’.

Recently, however, the labels were applied to news organisations that received public funding but were not controlled by any governments.

In a BBC interview last week, Musk defended Twitter’s decision and said the social media platform was trying to be ‘accurate’ and would look into amending the label 

The change appeared soon after Twitter began the mass removal of its blue ticks on Thursday, a symbol that previously signified a verified account.

Musk, who has seen his $44 billion investment in the platform shrivel, changed the system to allow anyone who pays $8 a month to get the badge.

Musk’s tumultuous ownership of Twitter has seen thousands of staff made redundant and advertisers fleeing the platform.

Users have complained that hate speech and misinformation have proliferated, and accounts with extreme views are gaining traction due to less content moderation.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk