Twitter drops ‘state-affiliated’ label from NPR after backlash

Twitter has dropped the “state-affiliated media” label from NPR’s account and replaced it with a “government funded” label, after facing backlash over the decision.

The label first appeared on NPR’s account on Tuesday, leading the news organization to halt its posts on the social media platform.

“We were disturbed to see last night that Twitter has labeled NPR as ‘state-affiliated media,’ a description that, per Twitter’s own guidelines, does not apply to NPR,” President and CEO John Lansing said in a statement on Wednesday.

“NPR and our Member stations are supported by millions of listeners who depend on us for the independent, fact-based journalism we provide,” he continued, adding, “It is unacceptable for Twitter to label us this way.”

NPR has since updated its Twitter bio to read, “NPR is an independent news organization committed to informing the public about the world around us. You can find us every other place you read the news.”

According to NPR’s website, less than 1 percent of its annual operating budget comes from grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and federal entities.

The “state-affiliated media” label placed NPR in the company of Russian state-owned news agency TASS and China’s official state news agency Xinhua, both of which have received such a label.

Twitter CEO Elon Musk acknowledged on Thursday that the “state-affiliated media” label might not have been accurate in an email exchange with an NPR reporter.

“The operating principle at new Twitter is simply fair and equal treatment, so if we label non-US accounts as govt, then we should do the same for US, but it sounds like that might not be accurate here,” Musk said in one email, per NPR.

The “government funded” label appears to have also been applied to PBS, as of Saturday evening.

The label links back to Twitter’s guidelines on government and state-affiliated media, which does not include a definition for the “government funded” label.