There has been a lot of debate within media circles about whether to remain on Twitter since Twitter first placed a “US state-affiliated media” and then a “Government-funded Media” label on NPR’s Twitter profile and all its posts. Both labels imply that NPR’s journalism is controlled or influenced by the government. That is inaccurate, even according to Twitter’s own definitions of its labels.
As a result, NPR has decided to stop sharing its content on the platform, writing:
“NPR will no longer actively maintain its flagship Twitter (@NPR) or any other official NPR accounts, and we are officially deemphasizing Twitter across the organization.
“We have made this decision after Twitter refused repeated requests to remove an inaccurate label designating NPR as "state-affiliated media." The label has since been changed to "Government-Funded Media," which does not accurately capture our public media governance structure and still sends Twitter users to an explanation that implies "government involvement over editorial content." We believe this label is intended to call in question our editorial independence and undermine our credibility. If we continued tweeting, every post would carry that misleading label.”
WFAE is a proud member of the NPR network of stations. We share the same journalism values rooted in the belief that unbiased and editorially independent journalism is essential to a healthy democracy and an informed citizenry.
We decry any attempt to paint NPR or our local journalism as controlled by outside influences. However, in an age of rampant misinformation and disinformation, ensuring that our local, editorially independent journalism reaches as many people in our community as possible is more important than ever.
For that reason, WFAE is choosing to remain active on Twitter, for now. We recognize the unpredictability of Twitter’s decision-making, which could force us to reconsider this decision.
Ju-Don Marshall
WFAE President & CEO