The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) – the UK’s public broadcasting service – has refused to be labelled as a government-funded media outlet on one of its main Twitter accounts. The BBC says it is in discussion with the social network about the label it has been given.
In a statement, the broadcaster assured that “the BBC is, and always has been, independent. We are funded by the British public via a public licence fee.”
The label links to a page on Twitter’s help centre which states that “state-affiliated media” are publications over which the government “exercises control over editorial content via financial resources, direct or indirect political pressure, and/or control over production and distribution”.
The BBC maintains impartiality and continues to operate under a Royal Charter agreed with the government, which states that the media “must be independent”.
Britons are charged a £159 (€181) licence fee each year to fund the corporation. It is collected from every household by the government.
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American radio broadcaster NPR received similar treatment last week when its main account was branded as 'government-funded media', France24 reports. NPR is mostly funded by fees paid by its member stations.
The outlet stopped tweeting in protest and changed its description to invite users to "find us every other place where you read the news."
Elon Musk's social media network has also removed the "verified" status of the New York Times. Musk has long been disparaging to the media, especially those considered to be left-leaning. Recently Musk set up Twitter's main press contact address to send back a poop emoji to all emails.
