Canadian public radio CBC is following in the footsteps of its American counterpart NPR and quitting Twitter after being labeled by the social network as “government-funded media”. Public channels in France and the UK are also getting a new label on their own, but as ‘state-funded media’. The ideological battle behind these nomenclatures.

Before the arrival of Elon Musk at the head of Twitter, the label “Media affiliated with the government” served to warn the public that behind journalistic companies like the Russian RT (Ex Russia Today) or the Chinese Xinhua (New China) hid communication devices. whose editorial line depended on these regimes. Although it does not say so explicitly, it was to warn against content produced in the service of systems lacking freedom of the press or verified information.

When Elon Musk took the reins of Twitter, he came with a promise of greater transparency in the platform’s posting rules and to balance what he saw as the company’s leftist bias that had shut down several accounts of right-wing opinion leaders, including former President Donald Trump.

At the same time, Musk began to question the editorial line of American progressive media, starting with The New York Times, which removed its verification on the platform. The newspaper, accused of bias by the tycoon, announced that it would not opt ​​for the payment card, which Musk marketed to the general public in an attempt to finally make Twitter profitable.

Then, it was the turn of the American public radio NPR, which woke up with a “Media financed by the government” label. NPR, known for its traditionally progressive political positions, decided on April 12 to no longer publish on the bird network, explaining that it “produces independent journalism”.

The label in question then appeared on the BBC’s UK account, which after complaining to Musk got a change and now reads ‘Funded by the public’.

“This label is false and misleading”

On Monday, Canadian public radio (CBC) and its French-language version Radio-Canada announced that they were quitting Twitter after the social network branded them a government-funded outlet, questioning their editorial independence.

In a statement, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Radio-Canada said Twitter had added the new “government-funded media” label to its profiles, the same distinction it makes for mainstream media in authoritarian countries like China and the United States. Russia. In reality, Twitter makes a distinction between “state-affiliated” and “government-funded” media.

“In the case of CBC/Radio-Canada, this label is false and misleading,” the Canadian statement said.

Although the radio is publicly funded, he said its editorial independence is protected by Canadian media law.

“Twitter can be a powerful tool for our journalists to communicate with Canadians, but it undermines the accuracy and professionalism of their work by allowing our independence to be misrepresented in this way.”

“As a result, we will stop our activity on corporate accounts and all news-related accounts of CBC and Radio-Canada.”

Like the American NPR, the station invited Canadians to follow its service on other social networks.

Twitter’s decision comes a week after Canadian Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre wrote to Musk asking him to put the label on public radio.

“Now people know this is Trudeau propaganda, not news,” he tweeted after the announcement.

Meanwhile, the “state-funded” label has also found its footing in French media, such as RFI, whose French account has carried the label since Monday.