The New York Times is no longer a verified account on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
X owner Elon Musk has long been critical of the outlet, while also engaging with a parody account on the platform of almost the same name, handle, and profile picture. Some hours after X users took notice that the New York Times was missing its original golden check mark allotted to media accounts, a new, blue check mark appeared on the account, a sign that the outlet paid for verification status to distinguish itself.
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That is both funny & tragic in its accuracy.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 18, 2023
The “New York” Times is a declining, once-powerful, but fundamentally doomed to be regional & increasingly archaic legacy publication.
"The 'New York' Times is a declining, once-powerful, but fundamentally doomed to be regional & increasingly archaic legacy publication," Musk wrote in August. In previous posts, Musk would claim that the outlet "lost the plot long ago" and its readership "is tiny compared to this platform." In Musk's opinion as of July, the "parody of NYT & actual NYT are indistinguishable!"
Before Friday, the New York Times had never paid to use the platform, similar to most other outlets. Once an account pays for verified status, their posts are allowed to be longer, they can edit posts, see reduced ads, and are ranked higher in conversations. However, the verified organization distinction also included protection from impersonation.
"X reserves the right without notice to remove your checkmark or other badging at any time at its sole discretion, including if you violate our Purchaser Terms, Terms of Service, and policies, or if your account is suspended," its website reads.
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Other outlets have also been critical of Musk for their verification process. In April, NPR, CBC, BBC, China’s Xinhua, and Russia's RT accounts were labeled as "state-affiliated media" with a gray check mark because they were funded by their respective governments at varying levels. Ultimately, that distinction was removed from all accounts, but not before NPR opted to permanently leave the platform.
In September, X reported an all-time high of 550 million active monthly users. Musk purchased the platform last year.