BBC’s Response After Elon Musk’s “Government-Funded Media” Jibe
The billionaire also said that he believes BBC is the “least biased”.
The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) has objected to its Twitter account being labelled as a “government-funded media”. The broadcaster said it has contacted Twitter regarding the matter and insisted that it has always been independent.
The BBC said it reached out to Twitter and highlighted that “The BBC is, and always has been, independent. We are funded by the British public through the licence fee”.
Responding to this in an email, Elon Musk asked, “Is the Twitter label accurate?” The Twitter CEO also suggested introducing a label indicating the “exact funding sources” of the organisation, according to BBC.
Mr Musk, in a separate email, wrote, “We are aiming for maximum transparency and accuracy. Linking to ownership and source of funds probably makes sense. I do think media organizations should be self-aware and not falsely claim the complete absence of bias”.
The billionaire also said that he believes BBC is the “least biased”.
“All organisations have bias, some obviously much more than others. I should note that I follow BBC News on Twitter, because I think it is among the least biased,” Mr Musk wrote.
According to Twitter, “Labels on government accounts provide additional context for accounts heavily engaged in geopolitics and diplomacy”.
The micrblogging platform defines state-affiliated media as outlets “where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution”.
BBC, Britain’s national broadcaster, stated that it operates through Royal Charter agreed with the government. The charter says that a corporation must be independent in making editorial and creative decisions, in terms of “time and manner in which its output and services are supplied” and in the management of its affairs.
According to BBC, it raised £3.8 billion in license fees in 2022, which was 71% of its total income of £5.3 billion. It received the rest of the funds from commercial activities and from royalties, grants, and rental income.
The broadcaster said it receives over £90 million annually from the government to support the BBC World Service.
