Twitter CEO, Elon Musk has reacted to the National Public Radio’s statement to leave the microblogging platform after the news outlet was labelled as a ‘state-affiliated’ media outlet.
In a restructuring move, the platform had designated the media outlet as state-affiliated as Twitter moves to onboard users to Twitter Blue.
According to Twitter, “state-affiliated media” are “outlets where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution.”
NPR objected to the designation, stating that the media is free from government control.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Elon Musk simply tweeted ‘defund NPR’.
The cryptic tweet is directed at the government, which funds the media outlet, to stop, as NPR has stated the media organization isn’t funded by the government.
The reaction by Elon Musk is coming hours after the news outlet disclosed that it will be quitting Twitter alongside its 52 handles. The main NPR handle has 8.8 million followers.
NPR’s resignation marks the first bold move by a big organization to leave the platform. The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Buzzfeed News, HuffPost, and Politico, are some of the platforms that have refused to pay for verification badges.