The NYT Loses Twitter Verification Badge: The New York Times (NYT) has lost its verification Badge on Twitter, making it the first major news publisher to do so, as the outlet has refused to pay a monthly fee to retain its badge. While other news publishers have also stated their refusal to pay for verification, their checkmarks are still intact as of now.
The decision was made following Twitter’s new CEO, Elon Musk’s announcement that the company would begin removing ‘legacy’ verified checkmarks from accounts that do not subscribe to Twitter Blue.
Twitter Blue is a subscription service that the platform introduced last year, allowing users to purchase a verification mark. This move has caused a stir among Twitter users, with some questioning the ethics of charging for verification and others expressing their dissatisfaction with the concept of a subscription-based model on the platform.
In order to obtain the verification badge on Twitter, individual users must purchase a subscription to Twitter’s Blue service, which costs $8 per month. Businesses that are currently unverified will have to pay $1,000 per month for a gold check mark verifying their account.
The subscription fee is cheaper on the web and is priced at Rs 650 per month. Twitter is also offering an annual subscription on the web in India, which costs Rs 6,800 per year or approximately Rs 566 per month.
Why was the New York Times’ verification on Twitter removed?
The New York Times’ gold verification check on Twitter was reportedly removed sometime between Saturday night and early Sunday morning. This removal may have been in response to a meme that was shared on the platform, which stated that the outlet had announced its refusal to pay for Twitter Blue.
Elon Musk, in response to the meme, tweeted, “Oh ok, we will take it off then.” Musk had earlier stated that non-paying checks would be removed after a “grace” period of a few weeks, unless the accounts indicate that they will pay. The New York Times’ Twitter account has over 55 million followers.
“We aren’t planning to pay the monthly fee for check mark status for our institutional Twitter accounts,” a New York Times spokesperson said in a statement. “We also will not reimburse reporters for Twitter Blue for personal accounts, except in rare instances where this status would be essential for reporting purposes.”
It is important to note that as of now, only the official Twitter account of The New York Times has lost its verification badge, while other sections of the media organization such as the Arts and Opinion sections still have their blue or gold checks.