The New York Times’ verified Twitter account appeared to lose its blue checkmark as the CEO of Twitter, Elon Musk, threatened to snatch the verified checkmark from the accounts that don’t pay for the Twitter Blue subscription service. “The real tragedy of @NYTimes is that their propaganda isn’t even interesting,” Musk tweeted.
The real tragedy of @NYTimes is that their propaganda isn’t even interesting
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 2, 2023
New York Times Refuses to Pay the Twitter Blue Subscription Fee
The New York Times earlier published an article saying that it would pay Twitter for its institutional accounts. The publication also told its journalists that it would not reimburse them for a Twitter Blue subscription, except in rare cases when it was necessary for reporting. Musk said that NY Times is being incredibly hypocritical here, as they are super aggressive about forcing everyone to pay their subscription while refusing to do the same for Twitter.
NY Times is being incredible hypocritical here, as they are super aggressive about forcing everyone to pay *their* subscription
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 2, 2023
However, it should be noted that the publication’s main account lost its check mark, but, New York Times’ side accounts, including New York Times Opinion, NYT Politics, NYT Climate, and New York Times World, still have their verified badges. It is pertinent to mention here that The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times also said they wouldn’t pay for verification and won’t allow their journalists to expense the cost of the service.
United Against Twitter Blue
It was not only New York Times that denied paying Twitter; other organizations and media personalities are also doing the same including NBA star LeBron James and even the White House. Musk announced that from 1st April Twitter will be winding down its legacy blue-verification badges, which means users who haven’t paid yet will lose their blue ticks soon. Moreover, organizations will have to pay a monthly charge of $1,000 in the United States and $50 for each additional affiliated account to retain the gold tick.
Also read: Twitter Blue Users to Get Priority Rankings in Conversations
