BBC riled by Twitter ‘government-funded’ label

The BBC has complained about being labeled “government-funded media” by Twitter Read Full Article at RT.com

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Apr 11, 2023 - 00:01
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BBC riled by Twitter ‘government-funded’ label

The broadcaster insists that despite being financed by a mandatory fee, it’s not state-funded

Twitter CEO Elon Musk has ignited a feud with the BBC by labeling the British state broadcaster a “government funded media” organization. The organization has denied taking state money – an untrue statement – and its defenders claim that being funded by the British government differs from being funded by the British public.

In reality, the BBC does accept direct British government funding. For example, it's own website admitted on Monday that it receives "£90million ($111 million) per year from the government to support the BBC World Service."

In addition, it has also taken direct state cash (which included a 2015 grant of £289 million) from the UK's National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review to strengthen London's global "soft power."

Twitter applied the label to the BBC’s main account earlier this week, after slapping US broadcaster NPR with a similar tag describing it as “US state-affiliated media.” While Twitter previously reserved such labels for foreign media outlets – like RT and China’s CGTN, Musk said that applying it to NPR “seems accurate.” 

NPR’s tag was changed to read “government-funded media” after an outcry from US liberals. 

The BBC bristled at receiving the tag. “We are speaking to Twitter to resolve this issue as soon as possible,” the broadcaster said in a statement on Sunday. “The BBC is, and always has been, independent. We are funded by the British public through the licence fee.”

READ MORE: US broadcaster gets ‘state’ tag on Twitter

On Twitter, the BBC’s defenders pointed to the license fee as proof of the network’s independence. The BBC, Deadline reporter Jake Kanter argued, “is funded by the British public through a system known as the licence fee. The BBC’s operations and editorial decision-making are entirely independent of the government.”

However, commenters pointed out that the license fee “is a government tax in all but name.”