NPR News Leaves Twitter After Elon Musk's "State-Affiliated Media" Label

News -- April 13, 2023:National Public Radio (NPR) News, one of the most respected news organizations in the
United States, has announced its departure from Twitter.

The move comes just a week after Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk labeled NPR News as "state-affiliated media" in a tweet.

NPR News, which has been a fixture on Twitter for over a decade, announced its decision in a tweet on Tuesday. "After careful consideration, NPR News has decided to leave Twitter. We value our audience and the important role social media plays in our work, but we cannot in good conscience continue to support a platform that tolerates the spread of misinformation and allows individuals to abuse and harass journalists."

The decision to leave Twitter came after Elon Musk's tweet last week in which he labeled NPR News as "state-affiliated media." The tweet was in response to an NPR News article that criticized Musk's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in his companies.

The term "state-affiliated media" is often used to describe media outlets that are owned or controlled by a government,
but NPR News is a non-profit news organization that is funded primarily by donations from listeners and corporate sponsors. NPR News has been recognized for its independent and unbiased reporting and has won numerous awards for its journalism.

NPR News' departure from Twitter highlights the growing concern over the spread of misinformation on social media platforms. In recent years, social media companies have faced criticism for their handling of false and misleading information, and the harassment and abuse of journalists and other users on their platforms.

In a statement, NPR News emphasized the importance of a free and open press in a democracy. "We believe that a free and independent press is essential to a healthy democracy, and we will continue to provide our audience with accurate, reliable, and unbiased news and information through our website, radio broadcasts, and other channels."

The departure of NPR News from Twitter is a loss for the social media platform, which has struggled in recent years to address concerns over the spread of misinformation and the abuse of its users. It remains to be seen whether other news organizations will follow NPR News' lead and leave the platform in the future.

In the meantime, NPR News has urged its followers to stay engaged with its reporting through its website and other channels. "We remain committed to providing our audience with the highest quality journalism and will continue to report on the important issues of the day with the same dedication and professionalism that our listeners have come to expect from us."

The following tweet is from yesterday 

WNCtimes by Marjorie Farrington