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Twitter CEO Elon Musk instructed an NPR reporter in an e-mail change that the “U.S. state-affiliated media” label he slapped on the media outlet “might not be correct.”
Twitter added the label — a designation that puts the nonprofit in same category as state-controlled propaganda shops like Russia’s RT and China’s Xinhua Information — to NPR’s account past this week.
NPR is nothing like these shops: It receives simply 1% of its funding in an instant from the U.S. govt and has editorial independence. (That independence explains why conservatives aren’t fond of NPR even when a Republican is within the White Home: the government doesn’t keep an eye on its programming).
The nonprofit protested the transfer with the aid of Twitter, which gave the impression to be impressed by using a thread Musk learn that criticized an NPR article.
NPR has for the reason that stopped posting to the social media platform fully. In a observation to Mediaite, a spokesperson for the outlet mentioned “We stopped tweeting from the main @NPR account after they attached that false label to it as a result of each and every tweet we post would raise it. We now have paused tweeting unless we hear back from Twitter on this.”
The spokesperson brought that NPR up to date its Twitter bio to read “NPR is an independent news organization committed to informing the general public concerning the world round us. You will see us each other place you learn the information.”
Musk spoke out concerning the choice for the first time on Thursday in an e-mail trade with an NPR journalist.
When NPR trade reporter Bobby Allyn advised Musk that Twitter was once public media, versus a state-managed outlet, the billionaire spoke back: “Neatly, then we will have to repair it.”
Allyn stated Musk then asked him for the “breakdown of NPR annual funding,” which Allyn equipped.
Musk defined his considering on the move in any other e-mail to NPR: “The running principle at new Twitter is simply honest and equal treatment, so if we label non-US debts as govt, then we should do the identical for US, but it surely sounds like that would possibly no longer be accurate right here.”
As Allyn referred to, that concession is a reversal from Musk’s prior claim on Twitter that the designation of NPR as state-affiliated media “appears accurate.”
Musk reportedly concluded by using telling Allyn that the label was still being evaluated.
The put up Elon Musks Admits to NPR Reporter That ‘State-Affiliated’ Label ‘May No longer Be Correct’ as Outlet Boycotts Twitter first appeared on Mediaite.
