Twitter backed down from calling US public radio NPR a US “state-affiliated media outlet” after the station protested, but Elon Musk’s social network now calls it a “body.” funded by the government.”
The social network, bought last October by Elon Musk, has also applied this new label to the BBC, which is mainly financed by British households paying a license fee.
On Tuesday, Twitter had attached the mention of “state-affiliated” media to the NPR (National Public Radio) account, giving it the same label as Chinese or Russian government-owned media. On her account, which has more than 8.8 million subscribers, NPR had invited listeners to “find her wherever they can find information.”
a discreet change
NPR said it was funded primarily by advertising, sponsorship and listener contributions, with a small number from federal sources.
The other radio accounts (covering political or music news, for example) had not received this mention from Twitter and continued to tweet.
Over the weekend, Twitter, which at Elon Musk’s behest is in the midst of redefining account certification on the social network, quietly rebranded NPR and the BBC as those of the “government-funded” establishment.
The episode comes days after Twitter removed the New York Times of the official certification of his story, Elon Musk accusing the big newspaper, reputed to be quite progressive, of “propaganda”.
Source: BFM TV
