You Can’t Out-MAGA Donald Trump
Democrats and the Stench of Desperation
Everyone's in on It
Intersectionality and Abandoned Leadership Is Killing the Democrats
Accountability, the New Political Buzzword
Stop the Harmful Time-Changing Ritual
Kitchen-Table Politics: Why Prescription Drug Costs Could Decide the Midterms
Man Arrested for Allegedly Stealing Veteran’s Identity and Using VA Health Care for...
Seventh U.S. Service Member Killed in Operation Epic Fury
NYPD Investigates Suspicious Device in Manhattan Vehicle After Apparent Terror Plot
NYPD Confirms Real IED Thrown at Protest Crowd
Federal Judge Voids Voice of America Layoffs
Trump Says He Won't Sign Any New Legislation Until the SAVE Act Is...
Former Carlyle Police Chief Accused of Spending Taxpayer Monday on WNBA Tickets, Jewelry
Chicago-Area Convenience Store Owner Sentenced to 4 Years in WIC Fraud Scheme
Tipsheet

What Elon Musk Did to the NYT Will Leave Liberals Seething

What Elon Musk Did to the NYT Will Leave Liberals Seething
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File

Is the liberal media going to go apoplectic over a blue checkmark on Twitter? That could serve as the next tantrum from the left after Elon Musk removed it from The New York Times's account. The liberal publication announced they wouldn't pay for their verification status, prompting Musk to strip it. The account has nearly 60 million followers. Even without the checkmark, the reach isn't impacted; it's The New York Times. The rage that could come from this overhaul exemplifies the bubble mentality: people outside of the Acela Corridor couldn't care less about this social media tweak from a private company.

Advertisement

The Times will not be banned or suspended—it's all about the fake status the checkmark holds, which was already viewed with disdain by scores on the platform. For a good reason: the accounts that obtained this rank were usually insufferable leftists. The blue checkmarks were viewed as the online elitists who considered their posts and opinions superior and without fault. It's not a hard stretch, given who employed them. Now, with Musk at the helm, there's reportedly a mass reorganization, though it doesn't appear as extensive as advertised (via The NYT):

A day after Twitter was supposed to begin removing verified check marks from accounts that wouldn't pay for the platform’s new subscription service, many verified accounts appear to have kept their check marks — except for The New York Times’. 

The newspaper's main account, which has 54.9 million followers, no longer had a check mark Sunday. Twitter CEO Elon Musk tweeted early Sunday that the newspaper's page would lose the verification symbol — the only public indicator of an account’s legitimacy — after the Times announced it wouldn't pay to keep it. 

Musk's announcement came in response to a Twitter user, DogeDesigner, who tweeted at 12:25 a.m. ET Sunday saying, "New York Times says It Won’t Pay For Twitter Verification," accompanied by a laughing emoji and a meme featuring the Times' logo and Musk saying, "See, no one cares!" 

Musk responded to the tweet two minutes later, saying, "Oh ok, we’ll take it off then." 

He followed the tweet up with two others about 45 minutes later disparaging the Times, including one that called its reporting "propaganda" and another that said "their feed is the Twitter equivalent of diarrhea." 

Twitter announced last month that it would begin winding down its former free verification system on Saturday, removing the check marks from accounts the company had previously determined were authentic and in the public interest. But many verified accounts still had their check marks Sunday afternoon. 

Some of the Times’ other Twitter accounts — including New York Times World, NYT Science and New York Times Opinion — also retained their verified check marks Sunday afternoon. 

Twitter didn't respond to a request for comment.

Advertisement

Musk appeared unapologetic about stripping The Times of their checkmark.


"The real tragedy of the NY Times is that their propaganda isn't even interesting," he wrote. 

"Also, their feed is the Twitter equivalent of diarrhea. It's unreadable. They would have far more real followers if they only posted their top articles. Same applies to all publications," he added.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement