Twitter added a new label to National Public Radio's account on Tuesday.
NPR's Twitter account is now labeled "US State-Affiliated Media."
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The nonprofit media organization has since taken issue with the label.
So #Twitter has labeled @NPR as "US state-affiliated media." pic.twitter.com/9tcArsEdJn
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) April 5, 2023
In a Wednesday statement, NPR CEO John Lansing said, "NPR and our Member stations are supported by millions of listeners who depend on us for the independent, fact-based journalism we provide. NPR stands for freedom of speech and holding the powerful accountable."
"It is unacceptable for Twitter to label us this way. A vigorous, vibrant free press is essential to the health of our democracy," he added.
NPR stands for freedom of speech & holding the powerful accountable. A vigorous, vibrant free press is essential to the health of our democracy.
— John Lansing (@johnlansing) April 5, 2023
My full statement on the recent inaccurate Twitter label below: pic.twitter.com/kdusUNtNUo
In its initial policy, Twitter made a point of noting that organizations such as NPR and the BBC were not examples of state-affiliated media.
According to the policy, which was available as of Tuesday, the designation is reserved for publications over which the state has editorial control.
The policy was updated as of Wednesday. The new version excludes the example of NPR as non-state-affiliated media. The BBC example remains in the updated policy.
Yesterday, @elonmusk’s Twitter labeled NPR “state-affiliated media,” even though the company’s own policy stated the organization shouldn’t be labeled as such because it has editorial independence (left).
— David Gura (@davidgura) April 5, 2023
Hours later, Twitter removed the reference to NPR in the policy (right). pic.twitter.com/cAXoXYFQ2G
In an article for NPR, correspondent and editor Bill Chappell claimed the label is "untrue."
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"NPR operates independently of the U.S. government. And while federal money is important to the overall public media system, NPR gets less than 1% of its annual budget, on average, from federal sources," he wrote.
Neither Twitter nor its owner Elon Musk have explained what prompted the new label or the policy change.