NPR quitting Twitter over label on social media account

National Public Radio is quitting Twitter over the social media company's recent actions under owner Elon Musk to stamp it with labels the news organization says are meant to undermine its credibility.

"NPR's organizational accounts will no longer be active on Twitter because the platform is taking actions that undermine our credibility by falsely implying that we are not editorially independent," the news organization said in a statement Wednesday.

Last week, Twitter labelled NPR's main account as "state-affiliated media" on the social media site, a label also used to identify media outlets that are controlled or heavily influenced by authoritarian governments. Twitter later changed the label to "government-funded media" which it also applied to at least one other public news organization, the BBC.

"We are not putting our journalism on platforms that have demonstrated an interest in undermining our credibility and the public's understanding of our editorial independence," NPR said.

"Defund @NPR," was Musk's tweeted response.

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Journalists, stations can remain

NPR said it would remain on other social media platformsand was reviewing whether it should expand to others.

NPR's main Twitter accountlaunched 16 years ago and had not tweeted since April 4. The next day, it sent a series of tweets listing other places to find its journalism.

NPR spokesperson Isabel Lara said the radio broadcaster'sjournalists, employees and member stations can decide on their own if they want to keep using the platform. NPR journalists have not been given the "government-funded" label, at least not yet.

NPR receives U.S. government funding through grants from federal agencies and departments, along with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The company has said direct federal funding accounts for less than one per cent of NPR's annual operating budget.

Much of its funding comes from sponsorships and dues from its member stations around the U.S., which in turn get revenue from a range of funders including public institutions, corporate donors and listeners.

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) which is also backed by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and isnow labelled "government-funded"said Wednesday it has also stopped tweeting from its main account. PBS said it has no plans to resume because"Twitter's simplistic label leaves the inaccurate impression that PBS is wholly funded by the federal government."

PBS says about 15 per cent of its budget comes from the U.S. federal government, and roughly the same percentage from the state and local levels.

Twitter's goal is "to be as truthful and accurate as possible," Musk told a BBC reporter Tuesday, adding that the British broadcaster's label might be changed to "publicly funded," which, he added, "is perhaps not too objectionable."

The BBC did not respond to a request for comment.

Twitter's new labels often seem arbitrarily assigned. For example, Twitter hasn't added the "government-funded" label to many other public broadcasters, such as CBC or Australia's ABC.

Twitter, more than any of its rivals, has said its users come to it to keep track of current events. But Musk has long expressed disdain for professional journalists and said he wants to elevate the views and expertise of the "average citizen."

Media analysts say growing friction between Twitter and news organizations since Musk bought the platform is bad for Twitter, and bad for the public.

Musk appears intent on "insulting and antagonizing individuals and organizations that he considers to be too liberal for his taste,"said Paul Barrett, deputy director of New York University'sStern Center for Business and Human Rights.

But by driving away legitimate news outlets, Twitter is only harming itself, he said.

"The drift is in an unfortunate direction," Barrett said. "You want to encourage sources of reliable, well-reported news to be present and prolific on your platform."

The end date may benear for another designation, Twitter verification, unless users sign up for a subscriptionservice called Twitter Blue.

Musk tweeted Tuesday that legacy verified accounts will lose their status on April 20, and their once-coveted blue checkmarks will disappear, if they don't pay a monthly fee.

For Canadian accounts, the monthly fee is $10 for subscriptions purchased through a web browser, but it costs $15 a month if purchased throughTwitter's iOS or Androidapps.The subscription also includes other services, including the ability to edit tweets, write longer posts and havefewer ads showing up in the feed.

Verification, when it wasintroduced in 2009,wasintended to signal an account was notable or of public interest politicians, companies, brands, celebrities, news organizations and that the user or organization behind it was not an imposter based on certain requirements.

The controversial move to charge for verification has led many users to reconsider their future on the social media platform, as it means anyone can verify an account.

Twitter removed the verification checkmark from the New York Timesearlier this month after the publication stated it would not pay for the service.

Muskpreviously said the end date for legacy verificationwould be April 1, but Twitter did not follow through with the change.

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