Twitter tags BBC as govt-funded media, broadcaster objects

PTI

London, April 10

Elon Musk-owned Twitter has labelled the BBC as a “government-funded media” on the microblogging site, leading to a sharp reaction from British public broadcaster, which on Monday objected to the move.

The taxpayer-funded licence fee-supported UK media corporation said it had contacted the social media giant over the designation on its @BBC account to resolve the issue “as soon as possible”. “The BBC is, and always has been, independent. We are funded by the British public through the licence fee,” the BBC statement said. An email

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exchange with Twitter chief Elon Musk suggests that he is considering providing a label that would link all media organisations to “exact funding sources”. “We are aiming for maximum transparency and accuracy. Linking to ownership and source of funds probably makes sense,” Musk’s email to BBC reads.

“I do think media organisations should be self-aware and not falsely claim the complete absence of bias. All organisations have bias, some obviously much more than others. I should note that I follow BBC News on Twitter because I think it is among the least biased,” it said.

The level of the GBP 159 annual licence fee, which is required by law to watch live TV broadcasts or live streaming in the UK, is set by the British government and paid for by individual UK households. The @BBC account has 2.2 million followers.

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