Social networks and media
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Published on April 10, 2023 at 04:22
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Updated on April 10, 2023 at 07:25
Twitter backed down from branding US public radio NPR as a US “state-affiliated media” after the station protested, but Elon Musk’s social network now calls it a “government-funded” body .
The social network, bought last October by Elon Musk, has also applied this new label to the BBC, which is financed mainly by British households paying a license fee.
On Tuesday, Twitter had attached to the account of NPR (National Public Radio) the mention of media “affiliated with the State”, giving it the same label as the media held by the Chinese or Russian governments.
The American public radio had protested against this label and had stopped tweeting from its main account on Friday. Radio CEO John Lansing said Twitter’s decision was “unacceptable”.
On her account, which has more than 8.8 million subscribers, NPR had invited her listeners to “find her wherever you can consult information”.
NPR said it was funded primarily by advertising, sponsorship and listener contributions, with a small amount from federal sources.
The other radio accounts (covering political or musical news, for example) had not received this mention from Twitter and continued to tweet.
Over the weekend, Twitter, which at the instigation of Elon Musk is in the midst of redefining the certification of accounts on the social network, quietly relabeled NPR and the BBC for those of establishment ” funded by a government.
The episode comes days after Twitter stripped the New York Times of its account’s official certification, with Elon Musk accusing the major, reputedly progressive, newspaper of “propaganda”.
The billionaire entrepreneur, also boss of Tesla, willingly shows contempt for the media. Lately, questions from the press to Twitter’s communication service have been automatically sent an emoticon in the shape of a turd.
By Elena FUSCO – © 2023 AFP
