The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) is protesting Twitter’s move to label it as “government-funded media.”
CEO Elon Musk introduced the label last week, which was initially named “state-affiliated media,” to the Twitter accounts of news outlets receiving some form of funding through the government.
The CBC appears to be the first Canadian outlet to get the label. Musk labelled other public outlets, like NPR and PBS, last week, promoting the companies to stop tweeting. The CBC is also following suit.
The BBC also received a label. However, unlike the others, it reads “publicly-funded media.”
Our journalism is impartial and independent. To suggest otherwise is untrue. That is why we are pausing our activities on @Twitter. | Notre journalisme est impartial et indépendant. Prétendre le contraire est faux. C’est pourquoi nous suspendons nos activités sur @Twitter.
— CBC/Radio-Canada (@CBCRadioCanada) April 17, 2023
In a letter it shared last week, the CBC said it’s never been a secret that it’s publicly funded. The letter came in response to Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s request to label the outlet with the “government-funded media” tag.
“CBC/Radio-Canada is publicly funded through a parliamentary appropriation that is voted upon by all Members of Parliament,” the CBC tweeted Sunday night. “Its editorial independence is protected in law in the Broadcasting Act.”
Updated 04/17/2023 11:49pm ET: After labelling the CBC’s Twitter account as “government-funded media,” Elon Musk has changed the media organization’s designation to state that it’s “69 percent government-funded media.”
Updated 04/17/2023 4:28pm ET: The article has been updated with additional information.
Image credit: CBC/ Twitter
Source: @CBCRadioCanada/Twitter
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