Twitter has recently removed the “government-funded media” and “state-affiliated” labels from media accounts that objected to being inaccurately portrayed as government-controlled. This change has caused controversy among public broadcasters, including PBS and NPR, who have stopped tweeting as a result of the labeling change. Both organizations claim that the label does not accurately represent them.
Previously, Twitter reserved such labels for state-run outlets like China’s Xinhua News Agency and Russia’s RT and Sputnik. However, PBS, NPR, and the BBC have all pushed back against the “government-funded media” descriptor. Twitter has since updated the BBC’s label to “publicly funded media,” a more accurate description of the broadcaster’s license fee-based budget.
Federal funding accounts for around 15 percent of public television system revenue, while the biggest chunk of revenue, 31 percent, comes from donations from individuals. NPR says federal funding makes up less than one percent of its average annual budget. The broadcaster says it stopped using Twitter in large part to protect its credibility, suggesting the label implies that the government has editorial influence over it. PBS has not posted on its Twitter account since April 8th and has no plans to resume at this time.
New Requirements for Advertisers
In addition to the labeling changes, Twitter has set new requirements for advertisers, including paying $8 per month for Twitter Blue or being verified as a noteworthy organization. Advertisers already running at least $1,000 in ads will automatically be considered verified.
Twitter has stated that these changes reflect broader verification system changes that will make for a “superior” experience on the platform. Legacy verification checkmarks have been removed, and now only Twitter Blue subscribers receive a blue checkmark. Businesses can receive gold verifications, while government and multilateral organization accounts can have gray checks.
Twitter’s move towards subscriptions is aimed at reducing its dependence on conventional ad revenue. However, as Insider Intelligence estimates, Twitter’s ad revenue is expected to fall in the coming years as advertisers leave the platform. Nevertheless, Twitter remains confident in its subscription model and is focusing on creating new revenue streams to reduce its dependence on ads.
