After NPR, Canada Public Broadcaster CBC Also Quits Twitter Over ‘Government-Funded’ Label

Canada public broadcaster CBC has decided to quit Twitter over the microblogging website’s decision to label it as a ‘government-funded’ organization.

In a statement, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Radio-Canada said Twitter had added a “government-funded media” label to its account,  branding it the same way it does as major media outlets in Russia or China.

“In the case of CBC/Radio-Canada this labeling is untrue and deceptive,” the statement said.

This development comes after last week US radio broadcaster NPR quit Twitter. The exit follows Twitter’s decision to label National Public Radio and BBC as “state-affiliated media.”

“Government-funded media is defined as outlets where the government provides some or all of the outlet’s funding and may have varying degrees of government involvement over editorial content,” according to Twitter.

This week, Twitter also put a “government-funded media” label on CBC’s account.

Responding to Twitter labeling, CBC corporate spokesperson Leon Mar earlier said the government does not influence CBC’s editorial content.

“Twitter’s own policy defines government-funded media as cases where the government ‘may have varying degrees of government involvement over editorial content,’ which is clearly not the case with CBC/Radio-Canada,” Mar was quoted as saying by CBC.

“CBC/Radio-Canada is publicly funded through a parliamentary appropriation that is voted upon by all Members of Parliament. Its editorial independence is protected in law in the Broadcasting Act.”

Last week, NPR became the first significant defection by a major news outlet since Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform.

NPR had said all its organizational accounts “will no longer be active on Twitter because the platform is taking actions that undermine our credibility by falsely implying that we are not editorially independent.”

It added that “there are plenty of ways to stay connected and keep up with NPR’s news, music, and cultural content,” urging users to other platforms.

(With agency inputs)

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