A sign at Twitter headquarters is shown in San Francisco, Dec. 8, 2022. Twitter's owner and CEO, Elon Musk, acknowledged the 'state-affiliated' tag applied to NPR after he posted a screenshot of Twitter's definition of 'state-affiliated media' with a short message on Apr. 5, 2023: "Seems accurate" (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
A sign at Twitter headquarters is shown in San Francisco, Dec. 8, 2022. Twitter's owner and CEO, Elon Musk, acknowledged the 'state-affiliated' tag applied to NPR after he posted a screenshot of Twitter's definition of 'state-affiliated media' with a short message on Apr. 5, 2023: "Seems accurate" (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
Happy Fact Check Friday, all!
You may have seen that Twitter, now owned by Elon Musk, has labeled NPR as “state-affiliated media.” As an NPR member station, WITF is affected by Twitter’s decision, which spreads misinformation about whether stations are influenced by their funders.
Here are some facts:
Twitter defines “state-affiliated media” as “outlets where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution.”
Seems accurate pic.twitter.com/nx5TmJY7GX
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2023
None of those apply to NPR and the U.S. government.
NPR does receive some funding from the federal government and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, but it’s less than 1% of its yearly operating budget.
Member stations operate independently, meaning the government and/or NPR do not influence news coverage decisions.
Last year, 11% of WITF’s budget came from the federal government and 1% came from state grants.
WITF occasionally collaborates with NPR editors and journalists on specific stories and coverage plans — but they have no say in our editorial decisions.
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