Business & Economy

New York Times says it won’t pay for Twitter’s blue verification badge

New York, Mar 31 (EFE).- The New York Times Friday that it would not pay for the blue checkmark on Twitter as the social media platform’s system of account verification changes following the policy modifications by the company’s owner Elon Musk.

According to the new account verification system that comes into force on Saturday, all verified accounts will lose blue verification badges.

Subscribers who pay an $8 monthly subscription fee can only get Twitter Blue.

In an article carrying a tongue-in-cheek headline, “Twitter’s blue check apocalypse is upon us…,” the New York Times, which has 55 million followers on the social network, said it was not willing to pay for verification.

The Times has also told its journalists that it would not refund their subscription to Twitter Blue, barring “some rare exceptions when necessary for reporting.”

Twitter announced last week that on Apr.1 it would withdraw its current verification system and remove the marks from user accounts, including celebrities, journalists, and other public figures, who do not pay a monthly premium of $8.

Businesses that are currently unverified will have to pay $1,000 a month if they want a gold check mark verifying their account.

Citing an internal document, the Times said Twitter would make some exceptions regarding which companies get to retain their check marks without paying.

“In an internal document, the company said it would let the 10,000 most-followed organizations, and the top 500 advertisers, that have already been verified keep their status.”

The Times is not the only outlet that has refused to pay for Twitter verification.

The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, BuzzFeed, POLITICO, and Vox have expressed in one way or another that it would be an advertising expense, not associated with credibility.

Many celebrities with millions of followers have also refused to pay.

NBA superstar LeBron James said Friday that he would not pay for the Twitter Blue.

“Welp guess my blue ✔️ will be gone soon cause if you know me I ain’t paying the 5.” EFE

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