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New Delhi: Elon Musk-owned Twitter tweaked the label of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and US radio network NPR to read “government funded media”. Both the media houses have responded strongly to the Twitter’s latest decision.
Twitter had first labelled NPR as “state-affiliated media” before changing it to “government-funded”. Responding to this, NPR CEO John Lansing said Twitter’s move was “unacceptable”, according to a report by news agency AFP.
BBC, on their part, objected Twitter’s decision and said the broadcaster “is, and always has been, independent”. “We are speaking to Twitter to resolve this issue as soon as possible. The BBC is, and always has been, independent. We are funded by the British public through the licence fee,” the BBC said in a statement.
Elon Musk, in a tweet, said he does not think “BBC is as biased as some other government-funded media”. However, he believes claiming “minor government influence” in BBC’s case is “accurate”. BBC is predominantly funded by UK households via a license fee, which is also required to watch non-BBC channels or live services. This is supplemented by income from commercial operations.
“We need to add more granularity to editorial influence, as it varies greatly. I don’t actually think the BBC is as biased as some other government-funded media, but it is silly of the BBC to claim zero influence. Minor government influence in their case would be accurate,” Elon Musk tweeted.
“I do actually follow the BBC – they have some great material,” Musk said in another tweet while responding to a Twitter thread.
We need to add more granularity to editorial influence, as it varies greatly. I don’t actually think the BBC is as biased as some other government-funded media, but it is silly of the BBC to claim zero influence.
Minor government influence in their case would be accurate.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 10, 2023
I do actually follow the BBC – they have some great material
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 9, 2023
BBC’s branding comes after a row erupted between Musk and the American NPR network after Musk changed NPR’s label to “state-affiliated media” – which effectively suggested the US government could influence its editorial policy and compare it to outlets such as the Kremlin-funded Russia Today.
Following backlash from NPR – who said it would not tweet from the account while the label was in place – it was instead changed to “government-funded media,” reported CNN.
The label from Twitter even sparked a backlash from the White House, with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying “there’s no doubt of the independence of NPR’s journalists.”
Twitter defines state-affiliated media outlets 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.”
