NPR has now taken a stand against Twitter's inaccurate label of state-affiliated media, which implies government involvement in the organization's editorial content.
As a result, NPR's 52 official Twitter feeds will no longer be updated, Reuters tells us in a report.
NPR Criticizes Twitter's Latest Move
Although the social media platform has recently changed its name to government-funded media, NPR claims that it still does not accurately represent its public media governance structure. Reuters reports that the BBC has also criticized the new label, calling it misleading.
Twitter's billionaire owner, Elon Musk, told the BBC on Wednesday, April 12, that the company was trying to be accurate and was looking into changing the label. Our goal is to be as honest and accurate as possible.
"We're changing the label to 'publicly funded,' which I don't think is too objectionable," Musk said.
What's In the News
NPR, a state-funded independent platform, reported seeing a new label on Twitter as part of their verification earlier this month, with the change from US state-affiliated to now Government-funded.
Twitter's verification badge already focuses on adding new labels as part of Elon Musk's previous promise to provide more clarity to the public about who these people or organizations are.
Despite the change, NPR reporters are baffled as to why Tesla, which has received billions in government subsidies over the years, does not seem to have the label.
Read Also: Twitter Legacy Blue Check's New Removal Schedule Confirmed by Elon Musk-Here's the Final Date
NPR claims that, while it is government-funded, it is separate from the US government's media and is not controlled by the country in terms of information and public releases. The organization, including NPR President and CEO John Lansing, rebuked the label of state-affiliated last week.
The government-funded media label may now be more accurate for NPR, but the question of who else the label applies to remains unanswered.
Latest from Twitter and More News Outlet
The New York Times lost its verified checkmark on Twitter on Sunday, April 9, after CEO Elon Musk made official efforts to crack down on users who do not pay for "Twitter Blue."
Fox News reports that Musk's official Twitter Verified account announced on March 23 that the social media company would set a deadline of April 1 for verified users to apply and keep their status.
Those who refused to pay the $8 monthly subscription fee for individuals or the $1,000 monthly subscription fee for organizations would lose their blue check mark and verified status.
In a tweet reply, Musk revealed that this could include The New York Times should it refuse to pay for a subscription. Shortly afterward, the publication's main Twitter account lost its verified status.
Musk also criticized the Times, stating, "Also, their feed is the Twitter equivalent of diarrhea. It's unreadable. They would have far more real followers if they only posted their top articles. The same applies to all publications."
Read more about Twitter's removal of the New York Times' verified checkmark here.
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