Twitter Purge: How Elon Musk Single Out the New York Times
In a bizarre twist, Twitter's long-planned purge of blue check marks has not gone as expected. Instead of targeting high-profile users across the board, the platform singled out one notable account - that of the New York Times.
The main account for the prominent news outlet lost its coveted blue verification mark over the weekend, leaving many to wonder why. The Times had previously stated it would not pay for Twitter's new subscription-based verification service, which requires users to pay $8 per month to join Twitter Blue.
Elon Musk, who has been threatening to take away "legacy" blue check marks since buying Twitter last fall, responded to the situation with a characteristic tweet. After a user posted a meme about the Times declining to pay for verification, Musk said, "Oh ok, we'll take it off then." He then lashed out at the outlet in a series of tweets, claiming its coverage is boring and "propaganda."
The move highlights how Musk often appears to make decisions based on whims rather than policy. While Twitter had announced plans to wind down blue checks granted under its old system on April 1, the new label for verified accounts has obscured the reason why users are considered notable.
Most legacy blue check holders found that their verification marks had not disappeared but were instead appended with a new label, leaving it unclear whether verified accounts are actual individuals or simply users who have paid to join Twitter Blue. Other accounts from major publications, including those for its arts, travel, and books content, remained verified.
The situation has sparked concerns about the clarity of Twitter's verification system. Experts say that by reserving verification for paid users, Musk may be creating an environment where people can scam or impersonate high-profile users more easily. The move also raises questions about how Twitter will distinguish between verified accounts and those who are simply paying to join its platform.
The confusion has added another layer of whiplash to users, many of whom have long relied on blue checks as a way to verify the authenticity of Twitter's most prominent users.
In a bizarre twist, Twitter's long-planned purge of blue check marks has not gone as expected. Instead of targeting high-profile users across the board, the platform singled out one notable account - that of the New York Times.
The main account for the prominent news outlet lost its coveted blue verification mark over the weekend, leaving many to wonder why. The Times had previously stated it would not pay for Twitter's new subscription-based verification service, which requires users to pay $8 per month to join Twitter Blue.
Elon Musk, who has been threatening to take away "legacy" blue check marks since buying Twitter last fall, responded to the situation with a characteristic tweet. After a user posted a meme about the Times declining to pay for verification, Musk said, "Oh ok, we'll take it off then." He then lashed out at the outlet in a series of tweets, claiming its coverage is boring and "propaganda."
The move highlights how Musk often appears to make decisions based on whims rather than policy. While Twitter had announced plans to wind down blue checks granted under its old system on April 1, the new label for verified accounts has obscured the reason why users are considered notable.
Most legacy blue check holders found that their verification marks had not disappeared but were instead appended with a new label, leaving it unclear whether verified accounts are actual individuals or simply users who have paid to join Twitter Blue. Other accounts from major publications, including those for its arts, travel, and books content, remained verified.
The situation has sparked concerns about the clarity of Twitter's verification system. Experts say that by reserving verification for paid users, Musk may be creating an environment where people can scam or impersonate high-profile users more easily. The move also raises questions about how Twitter will distinguish between verified accounts and those who are simply paying to join its platform.
The confusion has added another layer of whiplash to users, many of whom have long relied on blue checks as a way to verify the authenticity of Twitter's most prominent users.
so like i get that elon musk wants to shake things up but idk man... taking away the new york times' blue check mark without any warning? 
it just seems like a random move and honestly its kinda weird how he's targeting them specifically. i mean, you'd think he'd want to keep some kind of consistency with the verification system, right? 
anyway, this whole thing has me thinking... is verified status even worth anything anymore? 
. But what really concerns me is how this move will affect the integrity of Twitter's verification system 
. By reserving verification for paid users, Musk may be creating an environment where scammers can run wild and impersonate high-profile users with ease 
.
. If verified accounts are just a paid upgrade, how will we know what's real and what's not? The confusion is already adding up, and I worry that Musk's whims will continue to disrupt the very fabric of Twitter's platform 
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Elon Musk is at it again with his weird decisions. Can't he just stick to a policy? The NY Times didn't pay for that fancy new verification service and yet they lost their blue check mark. It's not like it's some big deal. And now everyone's freaking out because the system got all mixed up... newsflash: if you're paying to join Twitter, you get a label on your account, okay? 
. anyway, this whole thing is just a mess 
. The fact that he took away the New York Times' blue check mark just because they didn't want to pay for it is pretty shady 
. It shows how much control he has over the platform and how he can make changes without really following through with any real policies 
. And now the verification system is all messed up, making it harder for people to know who's real and who's not 
. I don't think this is a good look for Twitter at all 
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I mean, come on Elon! Can't you just stick to your guns and not be all over the place like that? First it's blue check marks for everyone, then suddenly only people who pay $8 a month get one... what's up with this?! 
And now the NYT gets singled out for being boring and propaganda... that's low. The whole thing just feels so arbitrary. 
And honestly, who's going to be able to trust verified accounts when anyone can pay for it? 
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I'm shocked at how quickly Elon Musk flipped his plan on the New York Times! 
This whole thing is just so much drama and I'm not sure how Twitter is going to recover from this mess. 
. I hope Musk gets his act together and makes Twitter's verification system more clear 
. This is just another reason why you can't trust some people in charge... 
But now we're all stuck with this confusion 
Can't Twitter just clarify things already? 