Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, recently labelled the BBC as a ‘government-funded media’ on the microblogging platform, which triggered a sharp reaction from the BBC. A day after Musk’s move, the BBC contacted Twitter to object to the new label, describing it as “government-funded media” on its main Twitter account. Responding to the complaint, Musk stated that he aimed for maximum transparency and accuracy and linking to ownership and source of funds makes sense. Musk believes that media organizations should be self-aware and not falsely claim the complete absence of bias as all organizations have bias, some more than others.
He also noted that he follows BBC News on Twitter as he thinks it is among the least biased.
Musk’s letter to BBC stated, “I do think media organisations should be self-aware and not falsely claim the complete absence of bias. All organisations have bias, some obviously much more than others. I should note that I follow BBC News on Twitter, because I think it is among the least biased.”
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The BBC has insisted that it is independent and always has been. The BBC Charter states that the corporation “must be independent”, particularly over “editorial and creative decisions, the times and manner in which its output and services are supplied, and in the management of its affairs”. Britons pay a £159 license fee each year to fund the corporation’s output. Although the fee is set by the government, it is paid by individual households.
The BBC has contacted Twitter over the designation on the @BBC account to resolve the issue “as soon as possible”. Twitter’s new labelling of the BBC’s account comes after it did the same to US public broadcaster National Public Radio’s (NPR) handle. The BBC is objecting to being labelled as “government-funded media” on its main Twitter account and has sought a resolution to the issue with Twitter.