US non-profit media organisation National Public Radio is quitting Twitter over the social media company’s recent actions to stamp it with labels the group says are meant to undermine its credibility.
“NPR’s organisational accounts will no longer be active on Twitter because the platform is taking actions that undermine our credibility by falsely implying that we are not editorially independent,” NPR said in a statement on Wednesday.
Last week, Twitter labelled NPR’s main account as “state-affiliated media” on the Elon Musk-owned social media site, a label also used to identify media outlets that are controlled or heavily influenced by authoritarian governments.
Twitter later changed the label to “government-funded media” and gave it to at least one other public news organization, the BBC.
“We are not putting our journalism on platforms that have demonstrated an interest in undermining our credibility and the public’s understanding of our editorial independence,” NPR’s statement said.
Chief communications officer Isabel Lara said: “NPR journalists and employees will decide on their own if they wish to remain on the platform, same for NPR member stations as they’re independently owned and operated.”
NPR does receive US government funding through grants from federal agencies and departments, along with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The company said it accounts for less than 1% of NPR’s annual operating budget.
