Twitter removed The New York Times’ verified check mark from its account on Sunday, just a day after it planned to remove the blue check mark from accounts that don't subscribe to Twitter Blue.
The news portal, which has 55 million followers on Twitter, published an article last Thursday saying it would not pay to have a verified badge for its institutional accounts.
“The Times 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," the article wrote.
In a response to DogeDesigner, Twitter CEO Elon Musk announced his call to remove the publication’s check symbol:
Oh ok, we’ll take it off then
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 2, 2023
An hour after the tweet, the billionaire CEO remarked that the New York Times’ “propaganda isn’t even interesting.”
The real tragedy of @NYTimes is that their propaganda isn’t even interesting
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 2, 2023
Last March 24, the social media platform announced in a tweet its plans to wind down on its legacy verified program by removing legacy verified checkmarks.
The announcement has since drawn harsh criticism from many Twitter users over fears of catfishing, scams and misinformation running rampant on the platform, as distinctions between previously legacy verified accounts and paying subscribers will be blurred.
Despite the new rule, several news portals – including New York Times World, NYT Science and New York Times Opinion – have maintained their checkmarks on the social media app.
While it is unclear why these accounts remain verified, in a now deleted tweet, Musk said it would give verified accounts a “few weeks grace” to pay for Twitter Blue before they remove it.
In addition to the update, Musk shared that only verified accounts and accounts a user follows will appear on their “For You” feed starting April 15.
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