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WBUR backs NPR by leaving Twitter after Musk’s ‘state-affiliated’ labeling
Boston's GBH, another NPR partner, said it will stay on Twitter, citing a responsibility to share its programming with the "broadest possible audience."
Boston-based public radio station WBUR announced Wednesday that it will stop posting on Twitter in solidarity with National Public Radio, which quit the platform after being labeled “state-affiliated media.”
WBUR believes recent actions by Twitter owner Elon Musk “seek to undermine the integrity of our news organizations,” CEO Margaret Low said in a statement, citing the “state-affiliated” labeling.
NPR pushed back on that label, which is also used to identify media outlets controlled or heavily influenced by authoritarian governments, as in Russia and China, according to The Associated Press. Twitter later changed the label to “government-funded media,” though NPR said the new term is still misleading.
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“We believe this label is intended to call in question our editorial independence and undermine our credibility,” the media organization said in a statement Wednesday.
NPR has said its two largest sources of revenue are corporate partnerships and fees paid by member organizations; less than 1% of its $300 million annual budget comes from the federally funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting, according to an NPR article.
Likewise, WBUR — an NPR member station — said Wednesday that the largest share of its funding comes from individuals.
“At moments like this, it bears repeating: WBUR’s mission is to produce high-quality journalism and enriching experiences that foster understanding, connection and community in Boston and beyond,” Low said. “We remain committed to that purpose. But a presence on Twitter no longer supports it.”
The Public Broadcasting Service, PBS, also said Wednesday that it has stopped tweeting from its main account, because “Twitter’s simplistic label leaves the inaccurate impression that PBS is wholly funded by the federal government,” according to The Associated Press.
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GBH — a PBS and NPR partner — confirmed in a statement provided to Boston.com that it will continue using Twitter. The public media organization said it “strongly object[s]” to Twitter labeling NPR and PBS as “government-funded” media.
“However, GBH continues to be the most trusted media in this market, and we have a responsibility to share our news and other programming with the broadest possible audience using the tools available to us,” GBH said. “This remains an evolving situation, and we will continue to monitor the changes as it moves forward.”
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