The National Public Radio is quitting its use of Twitter after Twitter CEO, Elon Musk falsely designated the outlet as “state-affiliated media”
The news outlet will suspend the use of its 52 handles, according to a statement from NPR’s spokesperson.
“NPR’s organizational accounts will no longer be active on Twitter because the platform is taking actions that undermine our credibility by falsely implying that we are not editorially independent,” Isabel Lara, NPR’s chief communications officer said
She added, “We are not putting our journalism on platforms that have demonstrated an interest in undermining our credibility and the public’s understanding of our editorial independence,”
“State-affiliated media” according to Twitter 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.”
However, after the objection by NPR, Twitter changed NPR’s description to “government-funded media.”
NPR’s quit is the first by a big news organization to leave the platform and comes on the heels of Twitter’s removal of The New York Times’ verification badge after the publication stated they won’t pay for Twitter Blue.
Other prominent publications, including The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Buzzfeed News, HuffPost, and Politico, have also stated they won’t subscribe to Twitter Blue.