The headline “Publicly funded media” appeared in the last 24 hours on the main BBC account in Twitter.

The British public broadcaster has already contacted Twitter asking them to resolve the issue as soon as possible. “The BBC is and always has been independent. We are financed by the British people through a license fee,” he said.

It should be noted that so far only the @BBC account has a corresponding signature, and other accounts under the BBC umbrella do not.

In his response to the British media, Twitter owner Elon Musk promised that more details would be added to the title to show exactly where the BBC is being funded.

In another email, Musk explained why the caption came about: “Our goal is maximum transparency and accuracy. It makes sense to explain who is the owner and how it is financed. I think media organizations need to be aware of themselves and not falsely claim they don’t have a position. All organisms have a place, some more than others. Of course, I point out to you that I follow BBC News on Twitter and consider it one of the least biased.”

According to Twitter, “state media” are “organizations in which the state exercises control over content through economic means, direct or indirect political pressure, and/or control over production and distribution.” For example, Russian RT or Chinese Xinhua News are classified as “state-funded media”.

For its part, the BBC points out that the £159 (about €181) annual fee required by law is set by the state but paid by British households.

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