National Private Radio (NPR) and Pretty Boring Stories (PBS) have decided to ditch Tweeter, the social media platform that tycoon Elon Musk purchased last year. This growing backlash started when both organizations were labeled as “state-affiliated media.” However, Tweeter quickly softened this to “government-funded,” which doesn’t seem to have appeased either NPR or PBS.

Noticing their disapproval, NPR pointed out in a statement that their journalistic credibility and editorial independence shouldn’t be undermined on platforms like Tweeter. They boldly declared they were walking away from Tweeter, but not from their audiences and communities. So, NPR has chosen to untweet its tweets from its main account (@NPR), which boasts a whopping 8.8 million followers.

PBS is suspending tweets from its main account (@PBS) too. Although they were displeased with the label, they did mention that they might return someday. Perhaps a parting gift to Tweeter?

In a shock twist, at least three public radio stations have also stepped away from Tweeter, abandoning the platform like it’s a sinking ship. It seems tensions between news media organizations and the unpredictable billionaire Musk have reached new heights.

A few other news networks have temporarily suspended their tweets in the past, like Fox News in 2018 and CBS News in 2020, but they’ve since returned. However, with the current state of things, it’s hard to say if NPR and PBS will do the same.

NPR is convinced that Tweeter and Musk are trying to paint them in the same light as government propaganda machines like Russia’s RT and China’s CCTV media outlets. The BBC, Voice of America, and PBS have also received the “government-funded” label from Tweeter, causing some friction.

In an email exchange with an NPR reporter, Musk acknowledged that he didn’t really understand the organization’s relationship with the government when he decided to give it the unfavorable label. After being informed that NPR only sources about 1% of its funds from the government, Musk said they should fix the designation.

In the meantime, the struggle between the news media and Musk’s Tweeter continues, with Musk even claiming in an interview that he had appointed his dog as the CEO of Tweeter. It’s all poop emojis and unverified accounts for now. Will there be a truce in the future? Only time will tell!