Twitter Removes China, Russia ‘State-Affiliated’ Labels: How About NPR?

(Photo : Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
KNUTSFORD, UNITED KINGDOM APRIL 21: In this photo illustration the Twitter logo is seen on a computer screen and mobile cellphone on April 21, 2023 in Knutsford, United Kingdom. The social media company started removing large numbers of the blue verification check marks, or "blue ticks," that had historically indicated a verified account. The company said in a statement that they are "removing legacy verified checkmarks" and, to remain verified on Twitter, users can sign up for the paid Twitter Blue subscription.

Twitter recently dropped the "state-affiliated" labels from China and Russia accounts, following concerns over the "government-funded" tag of National Public Radio or NPR of the United States.

The social network, which Elon Musk now owns, dropped these labels on global news organizations a day after it purged legacy blue checkmarks, forcing users to pay for a verification badge.

Twitter Drops China and Russia 'State-Affiliated' Labels

Gone are the days when Twitter users could identify which media outlets are "state-affiliated" or "government funded."

According to CBS, these labels saw the light of day on the social media service in 2020. It aims to safeguard the political discourse on the microblogging site. The designation is used to tell us which Chinese media outlets are affiliated with the government of China. The same goes for Russian news outfits.

Twitter used to label Xinhua as a China "state-affiliated" account. The Russian state-controlled media RT and Sputnik used to carry a similar tag on the platform. But this time, these labels have vanished into thin air, as per ArsTechnica.

The state news agency of China, Xinhua, no longer sports any label telling Twitter users that it is "state-controlled." It now only presents as "public media for the public good." On top of that, it touts that it does not subscribe to any "political bias."

ArsTechnica notes that other Chinese state news platforms, such as CGTN, Global Times, and People's Daily, are now free from any labels suggesting any affiliation to the China government.

Meanwhile, RT also lost its label, which designates it as a state-controlled media outlet. There is no clear indication that the government of Russia controls it. Its Twitter bio reads: "Freedom over censorship, truth over narrative."

The official account of the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, also lost his blue check mark a day before state affiliation labels vanished on Russian media outlets. But it is worth noting that the Russian leader has since gone on a hiatus on his Twitter account after invading Ukraine.

(Photo : CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)
This illustration photo taken May 13, 2022, displays Elon Musks Twitter account with a Twitter logo in the background in Los Angeles.

NPR, BBC 'Government-Funded' Labels Are Gone

The China and Russia "state-affiliated" labels vanished shortly after Twitter's move to designate NPR as "US state-affiliated media" became controversial.

CNBC reports that the Musk-owned social media marked various accounts in the West as "government funded," including NPR, BBC, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC), early this month.

The move triggered concerns from journalists and the top brass of these news services since such labels are typically slapped for propaganda platforms. NPR boldly responded to the designation by ditching the use of Twitter to share the news.

In response to the backlash, Twitter has removed the "government-funded" labels of CBC, BBC, PBS, and NPR. But it also removed the "state-affiliated" tag for Chinese and Russian media.