Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk fired back at National Public Radio after the news organization abandoned the Twitter platform in response to being labeled “state-affiliated media.”
NPR said in statement Wednesday that it would be de-emphasizing Twitter in order to avoid the organization’s credibility being questioned.
“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,” the statement read.
An NPR reporter asked for Musk to respond to a question about the incident, and he posted the question to Twitter with his two word response.
“Because of the label, NPR is quitting Twitter across all of our 50+ accounts. Our executives say the government-funded media label calls into question our editorial independence and undermines our credibility,” the email from technology reported Bobby Allyn read.
“Some wonder if this will cause a chain reaction among news orgs. What’s your reaction?” Allyn asked.
“Defund @NPR,” Musk tweeted simply.
Twitter initially labeled NPR “state-affiliated media” but faced objections from those who defended NPR on the basis that it is editorially independent from government interference. After changing its policies, Twitter then labeled the organization “government-funded media.”
John Lansing, the CEO and president of NPR, previously criticized the labeling in a statement last week.
“NPR and our member stations are supported by millions of listeners who depend on us for the independent, fact-based journalism we provide,” wrote Lansing. “It is unacceptable for Twitter to label us this way. A vigorous, vibrant free press is essential to the health of our democracy.”
Conservatives and other critics have demanded for years that the government stop funding NPR over accusations of a left-wing bias at the organization.
Coverage of the feud in many outlets implied that NPR leaving Twitter would be the beginning of an exodus away from the popular micro-blogging platform.
Here’s more about the NPR-Musk feud:
NPR quits Twitter in response to Musk attaching ‘state-affiliated media’ labelwww.youtube.com
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