After labeling both NPR and the BBC as government-funded media, Twitter is suddenly going in the opposite direction. The company has stopped using the labels entirely, including on accounts tied to foreign government officials and state-controlled media groups.
Users noticed the change today; it not only erases the labels from NPR, but also on accounts belonging to actual state-controlled media agencies, such as China’s Xinhua and Russia’s RT.com and Sputnik.
Twitter also removed the "government official" and "affiliated media" labeling across accounts belonging to Russian and Chinese politicians and pundits known for promoting anti-American sentiments, such as former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The company did the same to US politicians and institutions, including President Biden and the White House.
Twitter seems to have also deleted the company’s policy about labeling government-affiliated accounts. Visiting the original link generates a “Sorry, this page doesn't exist” error.
So far, CEO Elon Musk hasn’t commented on the change. But according to NPR reporter Bob Allyn, Musk decided to nuke the labels on a suggestion from writer Walter Isaacson, who’s working on a biography about him.
Twitter originally introduced labels in 2020 to help users identify accounts and tweets tied to particular governments, making it easier to spot potential state-backed propaganda.
But earlier this month, Musk expanded the “state-affiliated” label to NPR on claims the radio network can hold a bias for receiving funding from federal grants. The controversy eventually prompted NPR to ditch the platform entirely, citing Twitter’s efforts to undermine the radio network’s credibility.
Although Musk hasn’t commented on the matter, it’s clear he’s been focused on reining in content moderation on Twitter to prioritize his vision of free speech. Earlier this month, Musk also decided to lift restrictions that prevented Kremlin-backed accounts from reaching users on the social media platform.
“It is a weak move to engage in censorship just because others do so. Letting our press be free when theirs is not demonstrates strength,” Musk said in a tweet at the time.