US public radio NPR announced today that “its (…) accounts will no longer be active on Twitter” after Elon Musk’s platform decided to label it first as a “government-owned” news outlet and then as a “government-sponsored outlet” , which “undermines its credibility”.

“NPR accounts will no longer be active on Twitter because the platform is taking steps that undermine our credibility and falsely imply that we are not journalistically independent.”states the announcement of the National Public Radio.

“We do not impose our journalism on platforms that have demonstrated an interest in undermining our credibility and the public’s perception of our journalistic independence,” he added.

NPR’s main account on the platform had 8.8 million followers to date.

An NPR spokeswoman interviewed by AFP said the network’s journalists, as well as partner stations, will decide for themselves whether they want to stay on the platform or not.

NPR protested last week after Twitter added the label “US state affiliated media” to its page, putting it in the same category as the accounts of Russia’s Sputnik or the RT television channel. Twitter then changed its labeling, calling NPR a “government-sponsored” outlet. The same markup was added to the British BBC page.

NPR was founded in 1970 and is a well-known radio station in the USA. It is funded primarily by advertising and sponsorships, as well as by its network member stations. It claims that less than 1% of its operating budget comes from federal funds.

The rebranding comes just days after Twitter de-certified the New York Times account. NPR and the New York Times are respected media outlets in the US, but some conservatives consider them “too” left.

Elon Musk admitted in an interview with the BBC that running Twitter is like a “roller coaster” and admitted that “a lot of mistakes” have been made, six months after he bought the company for $44 billion.