The New York Times X, formerly known as Twitter, account is no longer verified after owner Elon Musk removed its gold verification badge.
On Friday morning, social media users noticed the verification badge was missing from the liberal outlet's profile. Just hours later, the account for the New York Times was sporting a new, blue check mark— suggesting that the outlet paid for verification status to distinguish itself.
Musk has been a longtime critic of the New York Times, accusing them of spreading fake news. A recent spat between the outlet and Musk ignited after a hospital in Gaza was bombed earlier this week.
The New York Times ran a headline accusing Israel of the bombing that left hundreds dead and citing only Palestinian sources. However, evidence verified by Israel and U.S. intelligence arms indicated the deadly attack was caused by a misfired rocket launched by the terrorist group Hamas.
In response, the New York Times was forced to change its headline at least three times.
BREAKING: NEW YORK TIMES CHANGES HEADLINES 3 TIMES AFTER ISRAELI PROPAGANDA- ZIONIST CONTROL OF THE MEDIA
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) October 17, 2023
“Israel strike KILLS hundreds in hospital”
Then
“At least 500 dead in STRIKE on Gaza hospital”
Then
“At least 500 dead in BLAST at Gaza hosptial” pic.twitter.com/5JVgMyMtZR
In August, Musk wrote, "The 'New York' Times is a declining, once-powerful, but fundamentally doomed to be regional & increasingly archaic legacy publication."
In previous posts, the billionaire claimed the Left-leaning outlet "lost the plot long ago" and its audience "is tiny compared to this platform."
According to the Washington Post, the outlet's traffic on X is down 50 percent since August.
Since then, Musk has implemented a five-second delay on users' access to the New York Times's articles. He claimed the change was made to encourage users to stay on the social media platform instead of being redirected to other sites.
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The changes come as part of a broader campaign the business entrepreneur has waged against media outlets who have characterized his takeover and reformation of X as a right-wing coup that has compromised their ability to report without interference by fake accounts. Others have accused him of helping to proliferate racism on the platform, a charge he has denied. Challenged by one user to explain his attack on the free press, Musk replied, "' Real journalists, ' lmaooo."
Musk has faced heat for his support of conservatives and criticism of Democrats in the past year. He has praised former Fox News host Tucker Carlson for his work on the platform and being a part of Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R-Fla.) 2024 presidential campaign launch.
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