PBS and NPR, two of the most prominent public broadcasting networks in the United States, have left Twitter after being labeled “publicly funded” by a tweet from Elon Musk. The tweet, which was posted on May 11th, 2021, accused PBS and NPR of being “publicly funded propaganda” and urged his followers to “cancel” their memberships.
The tweet sparked a backlash from supporters of public broadcasting, who pointed out that PBS and NPR are not actually funded by the government but by donations from viewers and listeners. In fact, only a small percentage of their funding comes from the federal government, and even that is subject to annual appropriations by Congress.
Despite this, Musk’s tweet seemed to have an impact on the networks. Both PBS and NPR announced that they would be leaving Twitter, citing concerns about the platform’s ability to protect them from harassment and misinformation.
In a statement, PBS said that it was “disappointed” by Musk’s tweet and that it had decided to leave Twitter “in order to focus on our mission of providing high-quality, non-commercial programming to the American public.” NPR echoed this sentiment, saying that it was “committed to providing accurate and unbiased news and information to our listeners” and that it had decided to leave Twitter “in order to protect our journalists and our audience from harassment and misinformation.”
The decision by PBS and NPR to leave Twitter highlights the growing concern among media organizations about the impact of social media on their ability to provide accurate and unbiased news. In recent years, social media platforms like Twitter have been criticized for their role in spreading misinformation and for their failure to adequately police hate speech and harassment.
For public broadcasting networks like PBS and NPR, which rely on their reputation for accuracy and impartiality, the risks of being associated with social media platforms like Twitter may simply be too great. By leaving Twitter, these networks are sending a message that they are committed to providing high-quality, non-commercial programming to the American public, and that they will not be deterred by the actions of a few high-profile critics.
In the end, the decision by PBS and NPR to leave Twitter may be a wise one. While social media platforms like Twitter can be powerful tools for reaching new audiences and engaging with viewers and listeners, they can also be a source of misinformation and harassment. By focusing on their core mission of providing accurate and unbiased news and information, PBS and NPR are sending a clear message that they are committed to serving the public interest, no matter what challenges they may face along the way.
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