In recent news, Twitter removed the verification check mark on The New York Times’ main account, which is known to be one of CEO Elon Musk’s least favored news organizations.
This action took place amid a larger discussion around the use of verification check marks, which serve as a way for high-profile users to prove their identity and differentiate themselves from impersonators on the platform.
Musk had announced a deadline for verified users to purchase a premium Twitter subscription, or else lose their check marks. The Times, however, refused to pay for verification of its institutional accounts and subsequently had its check mark removed on Sunday.
This move was followed by negative comments from Musk, who took to Twitter to criticize the newspaper, which has previously reported on Twitter and on flaws with Tesla’s partially automated driving systems.
It is worth noting that Musk serves as CEO of Tesla. While the Times’ main account lost its check mark, other accounts, such as its business news and opinion pages, still had either blue or gold check marks as of Sunday, along with several reporters for the news organization.
News publisher The New York Times loses Twitter verification badge
The Times made it clear that it would not pay for the monthly fee for check mark status for its institutional Twitter accounts, and would only reimburse reporters for Twitter Blue in rare instances where it is essential for reporting purposes.
The Associated Press, another news organization that also refuses to pay for check marks, still displayed them on its accounts as of midday Sunday. Twitter has not provided an explanation for the removal of The New York Times’ check mark or responded to the Associated Press’ email queries about the matter.
Twitter offers verification check marks to distinguish real accounts from fake ones. While Twitter’s pre-Musk administration verified public figures and other users for free, now users have to pay for verification.
The cost for individual web users is $8 per month, while organizations have to pay a starting price of $1,000 per month and $50 per month for each affiliate or employee account.
After purchasing Twitter for $44 billion in 2020, Musk has been trying to increase the platform’s revenue by pushing more people to pay for premium subscriptions.
Musk’s first product move after taking over Twitter was to launch a service that granted blue checks to anyone willing to pay $8 per month, but it was quickly suspended due to impostor accounts.
Twitter originally marked profiles with blue check marks about 14 years ago to verify politicians, activists, and people who had suddenly found themselves in the news.
Twitter also used the check marks as an extra tool to curb misinformation coming from accounts impersonating people. However, most “legacy blue checks” are not well-known figures, and the check marks weren’t intended to be status symbols.
