The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) is protesting Twitter’s move to label it as “government-funded media.”
CEO Elon Musk introduced the label last week, which was initially named “state-affiliated media,” to the Twitter accounts of news outlets receiving some form of funding through the government.
The CBC appears to be the first Canadian outlet to get the label. Musk labelled other public outlets, like NPR and PBS, last week, promoting the companies to stop tweeting. The BBC also received a label. However, unlike the others, it reads “publicly-funded media.”
(2/3) CBC/Radio-Canada is publicly funded through a parliamentary appropriation that is voted upon by all Members of Parliament. Its editorial independence is protected in law in the Broadcasting Act, as we said in our statement from last week.
→ https://t.co/CJeRlk7uc7— CBC/Radio-Canada (@CBCRadioCanada) April 17, 2023
In a letter it shared last week, the CBC said it’s never been a secret that it’s publicly funded. The letter came in response to Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s request to label the outlet with the “government-funded media” tag.
“CBC/Radio-Canada is publicly funded through a parliamentary appropriation that is voted upon by all Members of Parliament,” the CBC tweeted Sunday night. “Its editorial independence is protected in law in the Broadcasting Act.”
It’s unclear if the CBC will take actions similar to NPR and PBS and stop tweeting.
Image credit: CBC/ Twitter
Source: @CBCRadioCanada/Twitter