In the dispute with the BBC over a label, the Twitter and Tesla boss is now giving way.
(Photo: AP)
London In the conflict with the British broadcaster BBC over its name on Twitter, boss Elon Musk has now given in. “We will change the label to ‘publicly funded’,” the 51-year-old announced in a short-notice interview with the BBC on Wednesday. “We try to be accurate.”
The BBC had previously protested the recent change in labeling of its Twitter account as a “state-funded” media outlet. “The BBC is independent and always has been,” the broadcaster said in a statement. “We are funded by the British public through license fees.” A few hours after the interview, the designation initially remained unchanged.
Twitter boss Elon Musk has split relationship with media
The BBC’s criticism follows a row between independent US broadcaster NPR and the social network after Twitter temporarily described the @NPR account as “state-controlled”.
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Musk laughingly described his relationship with the media in the BBC interview as a “love-hate relationship – but probably more hate”. The media in the US and UK are able to “convulse him on a regular basis”. In other countries it is not allowed that “the media say mean things about powerful people”. However, a free press is important.
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