NPR, a nonprofit media organization in the United States, expressed its frustration with Twitter after its official account was labeled as “US state-affiliated” on the social media platform. Although the designation does not restrict NPR’s ability to post content, it puts NPR in the same category as government-aligned outlets in countries such as China and Russia, seemingly branding NPR as a U.S. government mouthpiece.
Twitter’s policy previously exempted media organizations with editorial independence, like NPR, from receiving such a label. However, Twitter deleted this section of its policy and seemingly updated it after users pointed out the inconsistency. NPR currently receives about 1% of its funding from the U.S. federal government. The organization emphasizes that the vast majority of its funding comes from other sources and that it is free from government influence.
Despite calls in recent years from Republicans to defund NPR over perceived biases, the organization maintains that it reports independently.
John Lansing, NPR’s president and chief executive, said in a statement that he was “disturbed” that Twitter has flagged the network as a state-affiliated news organization. “It is unacceptable for Twitter to label us this way,” Lansing added, as reported by NPR.
Elon Musk, who initially called the labeling accurate, later told NPR that it might not have been accurate and that it would be evaluated. Currently, other media outlets that receive U.S. funding, such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, have not been labeled as state-affiliated media by Twitter.
Musk has told NPR that “the operating principle at new Twitter is simply fair and equal treatment.” NPR has not sent a tweet from its official account since Twitter affixed the label.
