Twitter Removes ‘Government-Funded Media’ Labels From News Outlets Amid Controversy

Topline

Major news outlets including NPR, CBC and the BBC had labels removed from their Twitter accounts Friday after the social media platform previously listed them as being “government-funded,” Reuters first reported—along with labels for Chinese state media—reversing the controversial move after it led broadcasters to quit the platform in protest.

The headquarters for National Public Radio, or NPR, are seen in Washington, DC, September 17, 2013.

AFP via Getty Images

Key Facts

Twitter accounts for NPR, PBS and Canadian broadcaster CBC no longer have any labels attached to them describing the publications as “government-funded media” as of Friday morning.

The BBC, which was initially labeled as being government-funded but Twitter then changed to “publicly-funded”—a more accurate descriptor—now has no labels attached to its account.

Xinhua News, a Chinese news publication that Twitter had labeled as “China state-affiliated media,” also no longer has any such labels on its account, and Russian state media RT has also had its label removed.

Twitter drew controversy earlier this month for labeling the Western media publications, which are all editorially independent—and changed to the “government-funded” tag after initially describing them as “state-funded media”—which led NPR, PBS and CBC to all stop posting on the platform entirely.

Twitter, NPR, PBS, the BBC and CBC have not yet responded to requests for comments on the change and whether outlets that have left the platform would return to Twitter in response.

What To Watch For

Whether the change will lead outlets to return to Twitter, though NPR CEO John Lansing suggested when the broadcaster quit the platform that it would likely not “immediately return” if their label was dropped. “At this point I have lost my faith in the decision-making at Twitter,” Lansing said. “I would need some time to understand whether Twitter can be trusted again.”

Crucial Quote

In an interview with the BBC after the publication was labeled as government-funded, Twitter CEO Elon Musk told the outlet that Twitter was “trying to be accurate” and said it would change the company’s label to “publicly funded” instead. “I know the BBC is generally not thrilled about being labeled state media,” Musk said, saying he “actually do[es] have a lot of respect for the BBC” and thought the interview was a good chance “to get some feedback on what we should be doing different.”

Big Number

Less than 1%. That’s how much of NPR’s annual operating budget is made up of direct federal funding, according to the outlet. Other outlets affected by the change, including CBC and the BBC, are also publicly funded and editorially independent.

Key Background

Though Twitter has labeled Chinese state media and government figures since 2020, Reuters notes, the labels for NPR, BBC, CBC and other organizations only first started appearing earlier in April, part of a broader slew of changes to the platform and controversies at Twitter since Musk became CEO. In a now-removed page on its website, Twitter defined “government-funded media” as outlets that “may have varying degrees of government involvement over editorial content,” prompting controversy given the broadcasters’’ editorial independence. NPR was first to leave Twitter on April 12, saying the platform “is taking actions that undermine our credibility” and “falsely implying” the outlet is not independent. PBS soon followed, as did the CBC on April 17. “Our journalism is impartial and independent. To suggest otherwise is untrue,” the Canadian broadcaster said in one of its final tweets. “That is why we are pausing our activities on Twitter.”

Tangent

The removal of the government media labels comes one day after Twitter removed its blue checkmarks from formerly verified users on the platform—including major public figures like celebrities and journalists—leaving them only for those who subscribe to Twitter’s $8-per-month Twitter Blue service.

Twitter Removes ‘Government-Funded Media’ Labels From News Outlets Amid Controversy—Including NPR, CBC, PBS