Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) has joined NPR in dumping Twitter after Elon Musk slapped them with “government-funded media” labels.
“PBS stopped tweeting from our account when we learned of the change and we have no plans to resume at this time. We are continuing to monitor the ever-changing situation closely,” PBS spokesperson Jason Phelps told Fox News Digital.
PBS’ main Twitter account has 2.2 million followers. Its bio currently says, “PBS’s editorial independence is central to our work and will never change. We produce trustworthy content that features unbiased reporting.”
Earlier Wednesday, NPR announced it would become the first major news organization to essentially quit the platform amid tensions with Musk.
NPR QUITTING TWITTER IN ANGER OVER HAVING ITS ‘CREDIBILITY’ UNDERMINED BY ELON MUSK’S PLATFORM
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) has joined NPR in dumping Twitter after Elon Musk slapped them with “government-funded media” labels. (PBS)
“NPR’s organizational accounts will no longer be active on Twitter because the platform is taking actions that undermine our credibility by falsely implying that we are not editorially independent,” NPR said in a statement.
“We are not putting our journalism on platforms that have demonstrated an interest in undermining our credibility and the public’s understanding of our editorial independence,” the statement continued. “We are turning away from Twitter but not from our audience and communities. There are plenty of ways to stay connected and keep up with NPR’s news, music, and cultural content.”
Musk appeared to mock the situation when responding to a report about PBS following NPR’s lead.
“Publicly funded PBS joins publicly funded NPR in leaving Twitter in a huff after being labeled ‘Publicly Funded,’” he tweeted alongside a laughing emoji.
NPR LABELED ‘STATE-AFFILIATED MEDIA’ ON TWITTER, SAME AS RUSSIA’S RT AND CHINA’S XINHUA
Elon Musks Twitter removed the “state-affiliated media” label it temporarily placed on NPR’s account and replaced it with a label that reads, “government funded media.” PBS received the same label. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto, CARINA JOHANSEN/NTB/AFP via Getty Images (Photo illustration))
Earlier this week, Twitter removed the “state-affiliated media” label it placed on NPR’s account and replaced it with a label that reads, “government funded media.” PBS received the same label. Musk has been putting a spotlight on NPR’s federal funding in recent days.
Like NPR, PBS has drifted further to the left in recent years. A “PBS Newshour” segment in March even promoted transgender treatments for children such as puberty blockers while shrugging off Republican criticisms.
PBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.