US public radio station NPR on Wednesday became the first major media outlet to quit Twitter in protest at the network’s new policy, the same day its boss Elon Musk acknowledged “mistakes” made since his arrival, AFP reported.

Well-known and respected in the US, where it has 46 million listeners and readers a week on its stations, podcasts and websites, National Public Radio announced that “its accounts (…) will no longer be active on Twitter”, accusing a network of actions that “undermine our trust.”

Concerned? Twitter’s decision last week to label NPR, which claims editorial independence, as a “US state media,” putting it on par with Russian outlets such as Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik.

At first, Elon Musk, who easily shows his disdain for the media, suggested that the changes were “correct”. Twitter then took a step back, adopting the name “government-funded media” for NPR and Britain’s BBC, which complained about it.

Disputed certification

But justice has never been served, according to NPR, which says less than 1 percent of its operating budget comes from federal sources and that its funds come mostly from advertising, sponsorships and financial contributions from member stations.

An NPR spokeswoman told AFP that journalists and participating channels “will be able to decide for themselves whether they want to stay on the platform.

The US radio station, which had 8.8 million followers on its main Twitter account on Wednesday, urged listeners to follow it on other social networks as well.

Twitter’s departure, the first by a major media company, comes amid a controversial new certification policy that will see the network award its famous blue tick to those who pay for it starting April 20.

In early April, she unchecked the main account of the New York Times (55 million subscribers), another gesture of distrust for a venerable publication that some conservatives considered too left-leaning.