Following Twitter's decision to label the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) account as "government-funded media," CBC has temporarily suspended its Twitter activity, stating that it undermines the accuracy and professionalism of its work, according to a report by AP.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 26: The Twitter logo is displayed on the exterior of Twitter headquarters on October 26, 2022, in San Francisco, California. Elon Musk has reportedly visited Twitter headquarters in San Francisco before the Friday deadline to complete his $44 billion deal to purchase the social media company.
Undermines Credibility
CBC spokesperson Leon Mar announced the suspension of CBC's corporate Twitter account and all CBC and Radio-Canada news-related arrangements. CBC believes that the label "government-funded media" undermines its credibility.
The media company has sent a letter to Twitter, requesting that the company reconsider the label. Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, later tweeted about the situation and changed the title to "69 percent Government-funded media."
As per CBC spokesperson Leon Mar, the CBC does not meet the "government-funded media" label requirements on Twitter.
Mar argued that the company is publicly funded through a parliamentary appropriation that all members of Parliament vote on, and its editorial independence is protected in the Broadcasting Act.
The funding received by CBC is determined by its board of directors. In the 2021-22 fiscal year, CBC received more than $1.2 billion Canadian from the government.
This statement follows Twitter's labeling of National Public Radio's main account as "state-affiliated media," which refers to media outlets controlled or heavily influenced by authoritarian governments such as Russia and China. Twitter later changed the label to "government-funded media."
Twitter has not yet provided any comment regarding the application of the label and whether any changes will be made.
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Twitter as a Go-to Platform
The app has built a reputation as a go-to platform for users to stay informed about current events, and news outlets have utilized the bird app to share their stories and counteract the spread of misinformation.
However, Twitter's owner, Elon Musk, has been vocal in his criticism of professional journalists and has expressed his desire to prioritize the views and expertise of ordinary citizens.
Musk has even taken the drastic step of suspending individual journalists' accounts who wrote about Twitter, alleging that they were attempting to reveal his location.
Despite Twitter's efforts to combat misinformation, Musk's contentious relationship with professional journalists may affect the platform's reputation as a reliable source of news and information.
The New York Times' main Twitter account had its verification check mark removed by Twitter in April, allegedly due to its refusal to pay for verifying its institutional accounts.
Twitter previously used the blue check marks to verify the identity of high-profile accounts, such as journalists. Still, anyone can get them if they subscribe to Twitter's premium service.
This has raised concerns for news outlets as these check marks indicate that the information they share comes from a reliable source.
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