Elon Musk has confirmed plans to update the controversial "government-funded media" tag attached to the main BBC account on Twitter. The announcement follows objections raised by many, including the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) itself, which maintains its impartiality and independence.
The updated label will read "publicly-funded" instead of "government funded media," reflecting how the BBC self-describes its source of funding. In 2022, the licence fee amounted to £3.8bn ($4.7bn), accounting for approximately 71% of the total income for the organization, with commercial activities supplying additional revenue.
"The original label suggested government control over editorial content at odds with our Royal Charter agreement that mandates impartiality," said a spokesperson from BBC. "We're pleased Mr. Musk is taking action in response."
In addition to changing labels, Elon Musk also revealed his intention to remove legacy blue checkmarks from Twitter accounts starting April 1st unless users pay $8 USD (£6.40) per month via Twitter Blue subscription operation.
"This new policy aims at maintaining high-quality verified accounts while generating funds necessary for operational costs," said John Smithson, a social media analyst based in London.
However, larger accounts associated with other aspects of BBC's operations—such as breaking news and sports—are not currently marked with similar labels or subject to similar changes.
Musk explained that if these larger accounts use language consistent with their parent corporation's description—as publicly funded—they would avoid potential confusion or controversy surrounding their status on Twitter: “If they follow suit like we’ve done here,” he tweeted earlier today after announcing changes made specifically addressing issues related only those mentioned above