Backlash continues to Twitter’s appeared labeling of NPR as a US-government propaganda outlet. On Tuesday night, Twitter labeled the main NPR account as “state-affiliated media,” which was a term usually applied to state-run newsrooms in countries without a free press. While Twitter backed down on the term “state-affiliated” and changed it to “government-funded,” the outrage goes on.
NPR says they will no longer tweet on their account until the label is removed. Other NPR partners, such as Los Angeles’ KCRW, to also stop posting from their main accounts on Twitter.
In a letter to listeners, KCRW President Jennifer Farro said, “We want you to understand why we are taking a stand against public media being labeled as propaganda. It is an attack on independent journalism, the very principle that defines public media. There is a chance that Twitter will remove the label from NPR. Even so, we no longer have confidence that Twitter is a credible platform.”
Over the weekend, Twitter also added the “government-funded media” tag to the BBC, causing a stir in the UK. Other public broadcasters like Canada’s CBC and Qatar’s Al Jazeera remain unlabeled.
There are hundreds of local radio stations owned by state governments that receive the same federal funding as NPR, and not one of them has been labeled gov’t funded by the dictator of twitter. This is obviously a personal vendetta aimed at a company that has likely been critical of him. He can’t take criticism, so he lashes out. Kind of like someone else.
NPR would collapse without government funds and they carry the left party line.
Why are they afraid of labels that describe what they are?
The US airline industry would collapse without the government funded security, airports and air traffic systems but they are not labeled government operated airlines. NPR is not Prava and their journalists adhere to a strict code of ethics, unlike a certain Supreme Court justice.