Twitter labels NPR as "State-Affiliated Media"

Yesterday, they removed the NPR comment in their policy and put the label on NPR. I don't think anyone there actually listens to NPR if they think it is a propaganda arm for the US government.

While NPR does not receive any direct federal funding, it does receive a small number of competitive grants from CPB and federal agencies like the Department of Education and the Department of Commerce. This funding amounts amounted to less than 0.1% of revenues, according to its 2020 public filings.

The abrupt appearance of the same label affixed to known propaganda outlets such as Russia's Tass and China's People's Daily set off a range of reactions, from praise to outrage. Critics of the move saw it as another sign of Twitter's troubled relationship with the media, which has deteriorated since billionaire Elon Musk bought Twitter last year.

Caroline Orr Bueno, a behavioral scientist who studies disinformation at the University of Maryland, warned that Twitter's move could muddy the water in a news environment where it's already difficult to decipher which outlets are reliable and have editorial independence.

"This is ridiculous and only helps actual propaganda outlets blend in with legitimate news outlets," she said via Twitter.

Twitter has also repeatedly said it will remake its landscape of verified and trusted accounts, as part of its push to get users to pay to have blue checkmarks on the platform. Experts have warned the initiative would give new status to misinformation peddlers — and concerns deepened earlier this month, when Twitter revoked the verified check mark on The New York Times' account.

As of Wednesday morning, Twitter had not applied the "state-affiliated" label to other outlets that directly or indirectly receive any public funds, such as PBS.

April 9 (UPI) -- Elon Musk's Twitter has again changed its label for NPR for the third time in recent days, in yet another attempt to clarify its confusing policies on media accounts.

Twitter last week decided to label NPR as "state-affiliated media" but swiftly received backlash online for the decision.

"State-affiliated media is defined 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," Twitter's rules and policies show.

"Accounts belonging to state-affiliated media entities, their editors-in-chief, and/or their prominent staff may be labeled. We will also add labels to Tweets that share links to state-affiliated media websites."

NPR is a non-profit organization that receives funding through corporate sponsors, membership fees, grants and fees paid to the Public Radio Satellite System.

Its editorial decisions are completely independent of the U.S. government but some NPR affiliate stations also receive some funding from state and local governments. NPR has said less than 1% of its funding comes from federal sources.

After the backlash, Twitter on Saturday marked NPR and the BBC as "government funded" -- a confusing term as Twitter's rules and policies did not provide a definition for "government funded" or specify that the label is meant solely for media organizations.

Musk's companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, have together had received at least $4.9 billion in government funds and support by 2015, according to an investigation from the Los Angeles Times published that year, suggesting that his company's may also qualify to receive the label.

The organization Good Jobs First has a complete list of at least 111 subsidies awarded for Tesla alone dating back to 2007.

In an apparent to clarify its policies yet again, Twitter on Sunday changed its label for NPR for the third time. It now reads, "Government-Funded Media."

I believe that it is difficult to assess such a label. By its nature, a liberal leaning outlet/organization is pro-government in the sense that liberalism tends toward government support of "xyz". So, it follows that if NPR is slightly liberal in its coverage and reporting, then it is pro-government and therefore, "state sponsored" media. That being said, not really sure NPR is the arm of some nefarious attempt to corrupt our simple minds and move us toward communism.

Name a conservative commentator or show on NPR??

We call it National Propaganda Radio because thats what it is.

Again tell me a conservative voice on NPR??

Name a conservative commentator or show on NPR??