Elon Musk defends labelling BBC 'government-funded media' on Twitter

Elon Musk defends labelling BBC ‘government-funded media’ on Twitter saying ‘all organisations have bias’ – but claims the corporation is ‘among the least biased’

• Billionaire Musk said Twitter is aiming for ‘maximum transparency and accuracy’
• The broadcaster said it was speaking to the social media site about the labelling

Elon Musk has defended labelling the BBC ‘government-funded media’ on Twitter.

The billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX, who also owns the social media platform, attached the label to the corporation’s official account on the website. 

But while he claimed that ‘all organisations have bias’, he said he stills follows the news organisation because he thinks it is ‘among the least biased’. 

The BBC has always maintained its impartiality and operates through a Royal Charter agreed with the Government, which says it ‘must be independent’.

The broadcaster objected to Musk’s decision and contacted Twitter after the ‘government-funded media’ designation was attached to the @BBC account. 

Responding to the complaint, Musk asked: ‘Is the Twitter label accurate?’

He later directly emailed the BBC, writing: ‘We are aiming for maximum transparency and accuracy. Linking to ownership and source of funds probably makes sense.

‘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.’ 

Twitter owner Elon Musk has defended labelling the BBC ‘government-funded media’

The broadcaster objected to being labelled as such (pictured, the title ‘Government Funded Media’ and contacted Twitter after the designation was attached to the main @BBC account

He continued: ‘I should note that I follow BBC news on Twitter, because I think it is among the least biased.’

Britons pay a £159 licence fee each year to fund the corporation’s output, which is set by the Government but paid by individual households. 

The broadcaster said it was speaking to Twitter about the designation, adding: ‘The BBC is, and always has been, independent. We are funded by the British public through the licence fee.’

The label on the BBC’s official account takes users to a page on Twitter’s help centre which says ‘state-affiliated media’ are outlets where the Government ‘exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution’.

While the BBC account, which has 2.2million followers, has been given the label, much larger accounts associated with the corporation’s breaking news and sport output are not currently being described in the same way.

The ‘state-affiliated media’ label was also applied to US broadcaster NPR’s Twitter account, but it has since been changed to ‘government-funded media’ – the same as the BBC account. 

The BBC account mainly tweets about BBC-produced TV programmes, radio shows, podcasts and other non-news material.

Musk, 51, has cut down activity from the social media company’s communications department in the last few weeks. Since March the press department email address has automatically replied with a poo emoji, as it did today when MailOnline approached Twitter for comment.

Since Musk bought Twitter in October he has fired top executives and conducted layoffs with the aim of cutting the company’s 7,500 staff by around half, while he has also allowed people to buy blue ticks which verify their accounts.

Recently Musk was dethroned from the top spot on Forbes’s annual billionaire list following his decision to purchase Twitter for $44billion.

He earned the number one spot on Forbes World Billionaires list last year, when he had an estimated net worth of $216billion, overthrowing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. 

Musk is now the second-richest billionaire in the world behind Bernard Arnault, the chairman of French luxury goods giant LVMH — which owns brands such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Tiffany & Co.

The two had been trading places on the list over the past few months, CNN reports, but Arnault was able to supersede Musk after his net worth grew more than $50billion to $211billion.

The broadcaster said it was speaking to Twitter about the designation, adding: ‘The BBC is, and always has been, independent. We are funded by the British public through the licence fee’

Since Musk bought Twitter in October he has fired top executives and made layoffs aiming to cut the company’s 7,500 staff by around half

At the same time, Musk’s net worth fell to $180billion — $39billion less than it was last year, according to Forbes’s calculations. 

Forbes explains that Musk’s standing plummeted after he purchased Twitter for $44billion — funded by Tesla shares.

Investors in the electric car giant worried at the time about its share value plummeting as Musk took over the social media giant.

Tesla eventually gained back much of its losses, but is still selling at about half of what it was before Musk took over Twitter in October.

Musk was able to keep much of his wealth as SpaceX valuation increased from $13billion to $140billion in the past year alone.

Still, that proved to not be enough to compete with Arnault, 74, who had a ‘banner year’ in 2022 due to record-high profits at his conglomerate.

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