Washington: Twitter boss Elon Musk has sparked a fresh row with the BBC after labeling the British broadcaster as a “government-funded media” organisation, however, the UK national broadcaster was quick to push back against the classification. According to CNN, the label now appears on outlets that receive some government funding, including the BBC, PBS, NPR and Voice of America. However, it does not appear on other government-backed outlets such as Canada’s CBC or Qatar’s Al Jazeera.
The @BBC account – which has 2.2 million followers – is currently branded as government funded. Other BBC accounts, including BBC News (World) and BBC Breaking News, have not been given the label, reports CNN.
Twitter has not provided any definition for what it considers to constitute “government funded media”. In a statement to CNN, the BBC said, “We are talking to Twitter to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. The BBC is independent and always has been. We are funded by the British public through the license fee.” is nurtured.” Funded mainly by UK households through a license fee, which is also required to watch non-BBC channels or live services. This is supplemented by income from commercial operations.
Musk, NPR spar over ‘state-affiliated media’ tag
The BBC’s branding comes after a dispute between Musk and the US NPR network after Musk changed NPR’s label to “state-affiliated media” – effectively suggesting that the US government could influence its editorial policy. and can compare it with outlets. Russia Today funded by the Kremlin.
After a backlash from NPR – which said it would not tweet from the account while the label was in place – it was changed to “government-funded media”, CNN reported. Twitter’s label also prompted a response from the White House, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying “there is no doubting the independence of NPR’s journalists.”
NPR receives some funding from public institutions, but the vast majority comes from sources such as corporate sponsorship and NPR subscription fees. Twitter defines state-affiliated media outlets as outlets “where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution.
Critics of the move have pointed out that Twitter CEO Elon Musk’s other companies, Tesla and SpaceX, have received billions in government money, grants and subsidies throughout the years, but none of them have the “government-funded” label. No. Twitter accounts, The Hill reports.
BBC objects to ‘government funded’ labeling
The British Broadcasting Corporation objected to the new label and said it was speaking to the social media company about the designation on the @BBC account to “resolve this issue as soon as possible”. In a statement, it said: “The BBC is, and always has been, independent. We are funded by the British public through the license fee.” Notably, the BBC is mainly funded by British taxpayers, who pay a £159 license fee per year. Although the government sets the license fee, not everyone has to pay it, and families pay directly.
As the UK’s national broadcaster, the BBC operates through a Royal Charter agreed with the government. The BBC charter states that the corporation “should be independent”, in particular “on editorial and creative decisions, on the timing and manner in which its production and services are supplied, and in the management of its affairs”.
(with agency inputs)