Twitter has removed the verification check mark on the main account of The New York Times, America’s foremost publication.
This comes as many of Twitter’s high-profile users await the loss of their blue check marks that have helped over the years to distinguish them from imposters on the social media platform.
Musk had set Saturday as the deadline for verified users to buy a premium Twitter subscription or lose the checks on their profiles.
The New York Times said in a story on Thursday that the company would not pay Twitter for verification of its accounts.
“We aren’t planning to pay the monthly fee for check mark status for our institutional Twitter accounts,” the Times said in a statement Sunday.
“We also will not reimburse reporters for Twitter Blue for personal accounts, except in rare instances where this status would be essential for reporting purposes,” the newspaper said in a statement Sunday.
Earlier on Sunday, Musk tweeted that the Times’ check mark would be removed, and then went on to tweet disparaging remarks about the newspaper, which was aggressively reported by Twitter users.
News outlets like the Associated Press, which said it also will not pay for the check marks, still had check marks on their handles on Sunday.
The cost of the check marks ranges from $8 a month for individual web users to a starting price of $1,000 monthly to verify an organization, and another $50 monthly for each affiliate or employee account.
There would be impersonation issues as Twitter will not verify the individual accounts to ensure they are who they say they are, unlike when Jack Dorsey owned the company where blue checks are only for public figures.
Users like basketball star LeBron James and Star Trek star, William Shatner have stated they won’t pay for the blue check.
Seinfeld actor, Jason Alexander has threatened to leave the platform if his blue checkmark is removed.
The White House is also not going to pay according to a memo sent to staff.
While Elon Musk granted free grey mark for President Joe Biden and members of his Cabinet, lower-level staff won’t get Twitter Blue for free.
“If you see impersonations that you believe violate Twitter’s stated impersonation policies, alert Twitter using Twitter’s public impersonation portal,” said the staff memo from White House official Rob Flaherty.
Since Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in October, he has been trying various ways to boast boost revenue by pushing people to pay for Twitter Blue is his latest move.