(TheRedAlertNews.com) – BREAKING NOW: In a move that has seemingly delighted many conservatives along with Elon Musk, NPR (National Public Radio) will no longer post material to Twitter after a disagreement with how Elon Musk mandated NPR be identified on Twitter.
Specifically, according to multiple news sources, including USA Today and NPR itself, NPR has chosen to leave Twitter following the platform’s decision to label the news organization as “state-affiliated media” about a week ago. This decision sparked controversy with NPR because it implies NPR is not an independent news outlet.
On April 4, Twitter tagged NPR as “state-affiliated media,” a label often associated with propaganda and media outlets controlled by oppressive governments.
NPR CEO John Lansing said this action was “unacceptable.” Twitter later changed the label to “government-funded media,” but NPR still found it inaccurate. The news company, which operates independently from the U.S. government, receives less than 1% of its annual budget from federal funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
On Wednesday, NPR said it would stop posting new content on its 52 Twitter feeds, becoming the first major news organization to leave the platform.
The company said it is leaving Twitter because the platform’s actions falsely imply NPR is not editorially independent. However, NPR assured its audience that they could stay connected and keep up with its news, music, and cultural content through other means.
NPR shared a final Twitter thread on Wednesday morning, providing information on where readers and listeners can find its journalism. The organization hasn’t posted on its primary Twitter account since April 4. NPR journalists, employees, and member stations can choose to continue using the platform.
Twitter has also given the “government-funded media” label to other outlets, including PBS and the BBC. PBS has stopped tweeting from its main account and has no plans to resume, while the BBC has a “publicly-funded media” tag. Twitter owner Elon Musk admitted that the BBC was unhappy with the initial label but said the goal was to be as truthful and accurate as possible.
Twitter has not applied the “government-funded” label to many public broadcasting organizations in other countries, such as Canada and Australia. The platform has also made changes to some labels without providing explanations.
Despite initially defending the “state-affiliated media” label for NPR, Musk later shared an image of Twitter’s guidelines, which used to specify that outlets like NPR and the BBC were not considered state-affiliated media. This language has since been removed from the guidelines.
USA TODAY contacted Twitter for a statement, and the press account responded with a poop emoji.
What is your reaction to NPR quitting Twitter? Do you believe NPR is an independent news agency free of government control, or do liberals within the federal government heavily influence it? Share your opinion by emailing [email protected]. Thank you.
