Twitter’s “blue check” fight just hit a new level. On Tuesday night, Twitter labeled National Public Radio’s account as US state-affiliated media, lumping it in with propaganda networks like Russia’s RT and China’s Xinhua News Agency.
Twitter’s policy says, “State-affiliated media is defined as outlets where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution.” In the text, the social platform made exceptions for the BBC in the UK, Canada’s CBC, and NPR – until Tuesday.
Now that NPR’s exception status is revoked, the public broadcaster is fighting back. In a statement on Twitter, NPR CEO John Lansing said, “NPR and our Member stations are supported by millions of listeners who depend on us for the independent, fact-bases journalism we provide. NPR stands for freedom of speech and holding power accountable. It is unacceptable for Twitter to label us this way. A vigorous, vibrant free press is essential to the health of our democracy.”
This appears to be the latest move in the feud between Twitter’s owner Elon Musk and US media outlets. Over the weekend, Musk rescinded The New York Times’ verification “blue check” after they said they wouldn’t pay for the indicator, saying in a now-deleted tweet, “The real tragedy of @NYTimes is that their propaganda isn’t even interesting.”
Speaking of polarization as shown in the comments from the “commercial” sector of radio versus the non-coms NPR! Not surprising, if you look at the differing products/targets of each. In commercial broadcasting the advertiser is the client, the target, the source of revenue. In public broadcasting it’s the listener. Huge difference! This is not to cast judgement but to provide some clarity.
With the political divide having become so huge the extreme rhetoric is both understandable and saddening. Historically we had a four plus party system in the US, Conservatives (think William F. Buckley), Republicans (think Dwight David Eisenhower), Democrats (think Franklin D. Rosevelt), Liberal party with fringe parties on both sides. Today’s landscape consists of RINO’s (Republicans in name only who are far right of the old intellectual conservative party and Democrats who find themselves with a much broader base of liberals centrists and conservatives politically. Both extremes have, ironically, attacked US media for not catering to their political whims. It is extremely important for journalists to steer a middle course but nearly impossible to do when the currents from one particular political party have veered so much farther into deceit than the other. Merely the act of trying to provide balanced honest reporting forces legitimate news organizations to steer sharply to one side just to keep the boat in mid-stream!
The leftist bums sit in their $201 million dollar taxpayer subsidized headquarters with a gourmet chef but they’re too cheap to spend $1k per year on twitter where they spread their lies to millions? They spiked the Hunter Biden laptop story, hawked “Russian collusion” for years, and if you listen to them, you still believe COVID came from pangolins!
I thank God that we have NPR and the social programs that FDR, Truman LBJ and even Obama put in place, all of which most commenters to this site will always oppose.
The right wingers who own and control most of the commercial AM and FM stations in America have done nothing but destroy local radio and NPR has been the voice that kept it alive.
Corporate media heads have always followed the money. They sniff it out in every situation, like blind dogs finding their masters.
They don’t appreciate the American political system that has protected them since before their birth. Most of them are wreckers, nothing more.
NPR is an antidote to this destruction and it is not a state supported or state controlled media. Anyone who thinks NPR is federally funded and federally controlled is clueless. DO YOUR HOMEWORK ELON. You cause wrecks when you get out of your lane.
“The right wingers who own and control most of the commercial AM and FM stations in America….” What world are YOU living in? I wouldn’t call Cumulus, iHeart Radio, Audacy et al “right wingers!” LOL
No doubt! Especially Cumulus who mandated the Jab for workers or lose their jobs. They are a joke and I look forward to the lawsuits!
ha, hahahaha. NPR has been carrying the democrats’ piss bucket for years. When called out over it, they squeal like little pigs.
THEY ARE! [N]etwork [P]ropganda [R]adio!
They stand for everything but AMERICA! Communists! How long will they last if their GOVERNMENT FUNDING is pulled! Looking forward to their final broadcast!