On Tuesday night, Twitter tagged NPR’s main account with a “state-affiliated media” tag — a tag used to help users identify outlets that are editorially controlled by governments — even though previous policy guidelines specifically noted that NPR does not fall into this category.
In a statement released Wednesday, NPR CEO John Lansing described the move as “unacceptable” and unworkable for NPR, which is supported by listener members and provides “independent, fact-based journalism.”
“We were disturbed to see last night that Twitter had labeled NPR as a ‘state-affiliated media outlet,’ a description that, according to Twitter’s own guidelines, does not apply to NPR,” Lansing said. “NPR stands for free speech and holding the powerful accountable. It is unacceptable for Twitter to label us this way. A vigorous, vibrant free press is essential to the health of our democracy.
NPR did not receive any prior communications from Twitter on Tuesday about the tag, and requests to remove it have not been responded to, said NPR’s chief communications officer, Isabelle Lara. The Hollywood Reporter.
According to Twitter’s guidelines, state-affiliated media are defined such as those “where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressure and/or control over production and distribution”. Shops like Russia Today and China’s Xinhua News received such tags on Twitter.
Before Tuesday’s change, the guidelines also noted that “state-funded media organizations with editorial independence, such as the BBC in the UK or NPR in the US for example, are not defined as state-affiliated media for the purposes of this policy.” As of Wednesday, the reference to It’s NPR removed.
Organizations like PEN America called on Twitter to remove the tag from NPR’s account.
“Publicly available sources indicate that about 15 percent of NPR’s total budget includes taxpayer funds authorized by Congress, and make clear that the US government exercises no editorial control over NPR.” “Twitter unilaterally designating NPR as a state media outlet, on par with Russia Today, is a dangerous move that could further erode public trust in credible news sources,” said Liz Woolley, head of digital policy for PEN America. “It’s a gift to the spreaders of disinformation and to authoritarian regimes around the world.” Twitter should reverse course and remove this designation from NPR immediately.