Twitter labels NPR and BBC 'government-funded' organizations
2 min read . Updated: 10 Apr 2023, 05:39 AM IST
PremiumThe Twitter policy states that the decisions will deamplify tweets from both companies, limiting their reach on a platform that remains a major communication tool for media outlets, celebrities, and officials.
After an uproar for labeling the US radio network NPR as ‘state-affiliated’ media and ‘government funded', Elon Musk's Twitter has backtracked and applied that new label to the BBC, which is funded predominantly by British households paying a license fee.
Britain's beloved national broadcaster has now reached out to Twitter for clarification, according to a report published by AFP.
The change in how Twitter refers to Washington-based National Public Radio happened quietly overnight Saturday. This comes after the network complained that the term ‘state-affiliated’ was disparaging and inaccurate.
Last week, Twitter branded NPR in the same way as government-owned Chinese and Russian platforms. In protest, NPR stopped tweeting. In its updated Twitter bio, NPR's main account -- which has more than 8.8 million followers -- invited users to ‘find us every other place where you read the news’.
Responding to the remarks, NPR CEO John Lansing said that the decision by Twitter was ‘unacceptable’ and the radio's account has remained silent ever since.
Other accounts run by NPR, such as its music and politics handles, did not have the ‘state-affiliated’ specification and have continued to post tweets, AFP reported.
This came just days after Twitter stripped The New York Times of its verified status on the platform, which like NPR, is often accused of left-leaning bias, mainly by US conservatives.
According to Twitter policy, the decisions will deamplify tweets from both companies, limiting their reach on a platform that remains a major communication tool for media outlets, celebrities, and officials.
For years, Elon Musk has expressed a deep disdain for the news media and in recent weeks installed an automatic response of a poop emoji to emails sent to the site's main press address.
However, on Thursday, NPR said Musk had signaled in a series of emails that the relabeling may not have been ‘accurate’ and that Twitter would look further into the matter.
"The operating principle at Twitter is simply fair and equal treatment, so if we label non-US accounts as government, then we should do the same for the US, but it sounds like that might not be accurate here," the Twitter chief wrote to NPR.
The NPR's website stated that the bulk of its budget comes from fees paid by member stations throughout the United States, supported by individual donors and government funds.
NPR, one of America's most respected news outlets, told AFP less than one percent of its operational budget comes from federal sources.
(With AFP inputs)