PBS joins NPR in dramatic Twitter exodus over Elon Musk's government-funding label

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) followed National Public Radio (NPR) in ditching Twitter after CEO Elon Musk labeled both organizations as "Government-funded Media.”

The decision came after Twitter CEO Elon Musk labeled the organizations as "US state-affiliated media" and subsequently as "Government-funded Media," sparking outrage among supporters of the establishment press and raising questions about the organizations’ editorial independence.

Upon learning of the change, PBS immediately ceased tweeting from their account, with spokesman Jason Phelps telling Bloomberg News, "We have no plans to resume at this time. We are continuing to monitor the ever-changing situation closely." The dramatic exit highlights the growing tension between media organizations and the social media platform.

Musk's contentious decision was based on Twitter's policy regarding state-affiliated media, which he shared when NPR initially received the label. The policy defines state-affiliated media 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.”

NPR, clearly incensed by the designation, announced that it would no longer use the platform.

NPR says it will “no longer be active on Twitter because the platform is taking actions that undermine our credibility by falsely implying that we are not editorially independent.”

Remember when NPR refused to cover Hunter's laptop because it was not "newsworthy"? Nothing of… pic.twitter.com/KfntVmIKSS

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) April 12, 2023

A spokesperson stated, "NPR's organizational accounts will no longer be active on Twitter because the platform is taking actions that undermine our credibility by falsely implying that we are not editorially independent. We are not putting our journalism on platforms that have demonstrated an interest in undermining our credibility and the public's understanding of our editorial independence."

The spokesperson went on to emphasize that while NPR is turning away from Twitter, they are not turning away from their audiences and communities. They reassured that there are still "plenty of ways to stay connected and keep up with NPR's news, music, and cultural content."

In response to PBS' exit from the platform, Musk wrote: "Publicly funded PBS joins publicly funded NPR in leaving Twitter in a huff after being labeled 'Publicly Funded'"

Publicly funded PBS joins publicly funded NPR in leaving Twitter in a huff after being labeled “Publicly Funded” 🤣

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 13, 2023

This dramatic exit comes as a reminder of NPR's infamous refusal to cover the Hunter Biden laptop scandal during the weeks leading up to the 2020 presidential election. At the time, NPR Managing Editor Terence Samuels explained the decision by stating, "We don't want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories, and we don't want to waste the listeners' and readers' time on stories that are just pure distractions.”

Why haven't you seen any stories from NPR about the NY Post's Hunter Biden story? Read more in this week's newsletter➡️ https://t.co/CJesPgmGvo pic.twitter.com/jAi7PnpbZf

— NPR Public Editor (@NPRpubliceditor) October 22, 2020

As the fallout from Musk's controversial labeling of these respected news organizations continues, the future relationship between media entities and Twitter remains uncertain, leaving many to question the role traditional media still plays in the ever-evolving social media landscape.