Twitter drops ‘government-funded’ label on media accounts, including in China

On Friday, Twitter removed the “Government-funded” and “China state-affiliated” labels from worldwide media companies’ profiles, implying official involvement in editorial content.

Twitter removed the “Government-funded Media” designation from NPR, BBC, and CBC.

Xinhua News and journalists linked with government-backed publications lost the “China state-affiliated media” tag.

NPR and CBC were branded this month, while Chinese publishers’ accounts, including top employees and government officials, were labeled in 2020.

NPR and CBC stopped posting to Twitter, claiming the label misrepresented their governing structure.

Last week, Twitter’s billionaire owner Elon Musk told BBC that the social media network was attempting to be “accurate” and considering changing the term.

We want to be honest and accurate. “We’re adjusting the label to ‘publicly funded’, which I think is perhaps not too objectionable,” Musk remarked.

Twitter, NPR, CBC, and BBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on tag removal.

On Thursday, Twitter removed the heritage verified blue tick off thousands of profiles, including celebrities, journalists, and politicians like Hillary Clinton.

Donald Trump, Bill Gates, and Kim Kardashian lost their badges.