Tech
Twitter Labels NPR “State-Affiliated Media”
Twitter has labeled NPR, the National Public Radio, as “state-affiliated media” on the social media platform, which some liberals feared could weaken public trust in the government-funded news organization.
National Public Radio said it was disturbed to see the description added to all of its tweets, and its president and CEO, John Lansing, called it “unacceptable for Twitter to label us this way.”
It was unclear why Twitter changed its policy. Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of Twitter, cited a definition of state-affiliated media in the company’s principles as “outlets where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and control over production and distribution.”
“Seems accurate,” Musk responded to NPR on Twitter.
The United States government funds NPR through grants from federal agencies and departments and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. According to the firm, it amounts to less than 1% of NPR’s yearly operational budget.
Until Wednesday, however, the same Twitter policies said that “state-financed media organizations with editorial independence, such as the CBC in Canada, BBC in the United Kingdom or National Public Radio in the United States, are not defined as state-affiliated media for this policy.”
.@ElonMusk Is a ‘Hero’ for Exposing @NPR as State-Affiliated Media@TuckerCarlson: “… requesting details about what in particular might have led to the new designation, @Twitter‘s press account auto-replied with a poop emoji 💩.” pic.twitter.com/bZOevuNu0v
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) April 7, 2023
On Twitter’s website, National Public Radio has been removed from that sentence. Twitter’s press office reacted with an automatic poop emoji when asked for a response.
The decision comes just days after Twitter removed The New York Times’ verification check mark.
“Millions of listeners rely on NPR and our member stations for the independent, fact-based journalism we provide,” Lansing said. “NPR supports free speech and holding the powerful accountable.”
In urging Twitter to change its decision, the literary organization PEN America emphasized that National Public Radio “assiduously maintains editorial independence.”
According to Liz Woolery, PEN America’s digital policy leader, Twitter’s decision is “a dangerous move that could further undermine public trust in reliable news sources.”
