Twitter Labels CBC as ‘Government-Funded Media’
Twitter labelled Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) as a “Government-funded Media” on April 16.
The social media platform under the leadership of business tycoon Elon Musk had earlier applied the same label to the National Public Radio (NPR) in the Untied States and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in the UK.
CBC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on April 16.
The national broadcaster received $1.4 billion in funding from the federal government in 2022.
BREAKING: CBC officially exposed as “government-funded media”.
Now people know that it is Trudeau propaganda, not news.
Sign here to save $1 billion & defund the CBC: https://t.co/R8BvsAcR3O pic.twitter.com/Akf6IzdIb2
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) April 16, 2023
Twitter had initially on April 4 labelled NPR as “state-affiliated media,” same label as Chinese-state media Xinhua and Russian state-controlled RT. After criticism of the move, Twitter changed the label to “government-funded media.”
NPR said on April 12 that it is quitting Twitter, and won’t be posting new content on the platform. Reacting to the development and questions about Twitter’s latest move, Musk said on Twitter: “Defund @NPR.”
BBC has also objected to the label, saying: “The BBC is, and always has been, independent. We are funded by the British public through the licence fee.”
Musk said in an email to BBC that Twitter is “aiming for maximum transparency and accuracy.”
“Linking to ownership and source of funds probably makes sense,” he said.
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, who has often sparred with CBC, had earlier written to Twitter to request the social media platform apply the same label as NPR and BBC to CBC.
He welcomed the move on April 16 after the label was imposed.
“CBC officially exposed as ‘government-funded media,’” Poilievre wrote on Twitter. “Now people know that it is Trudeau propaganda, not news.”
The Prime Minister’s Office couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Poilievre had also asked for the same label for CBC’s @CBCNews and @CBCAlerts accounts, but the label wasn’t imposed on those two accounts as of April 16.
Owen Evans, Bryan Jung, and Noé Chartier contributed to this report.
