PBS leaving Twitter after NPR departure

PBS is the latest media company to say it’s getting off Twitter.

The public broadcaster joined NPR in saying it is no longer interested in sharing its content on the platform, after owner Elon Musk slapped a “government-funded” label on its account, which carries more than 2 million followers.

“PBS stopped tweeting from our account when we learned of the change and we have no plans to resume at this time,”a spokesman for the outlet told The Hill. “We are continuing to monitor the ever-changing situation closely.”

NPR became one of the first major news outlets to say it was quitting Twitter on Wednesday, citing a public spat with Musk over the “government-funded” label, usually reserved for state-affiliated propaganda outlets in other countries.

“We are not putting our journalism on platforms that have demonstrated an interest in undermining our credibility and the public’s understanding of our editorial independence,” NPR said in a statement to The Hill. “We are turning away from Twitter but not from our audiences and communities.”

Musk and conservatives more generally have long been critical of public broadcasters for what they charge is sympathetic coverage of Democrats and liberal ideas.

The Twitter CEO sent a Tweet on Wednesday following NPR’s departure from his platform that read: “defund NPR.”

Updated: 10:17 a.m.