British Broadcasting Corporation has objected to Twitter’s label of “government-funded media” on its main Twitter account.
While the BBC’s main account, @BBC, has 2.2 million followers, other accounts with a larger following associated with the BBC’s news and sports output are not currently being described in the same way, according to the outlet.
The British broadcaster stated that it was discussing the label with the social media giant in order to resolve the issue “as soon as possible.”
“The BBC is, and always has been, independent,” the BBC said in a statement. We are funded by the British public through the licence fee.”
Twitter CEO Elon Musk asked the news outlet in an email, “Is the Twitter label accurate?”
In a separate email to the broadcaster, Mr Musk responded, “All organizations have bias, some obviously much more than others. I should note that I follow BBC News on Twitter, because I think it is among the least biased.”
Every year, Britons pay a £159 licence fee to fund the corporation’s output, which is determined by the government but paid for by individual households.
The BBC operates under a royal charter that outlines its mission and purpose, as well as its governance structure, all of which are independent of the current UK government.
It also receives more than £90 million in government funding each year to support the BBC World Service, which primarily serves non-UK audiences.
This is coming on the heels of Twitter labelling US broadcaster NPR as “state-affiliated media” and the removal of the New York Times’ verified badge after the publication stated that it would not pay for the check mark.
