What's in a name ... like 'state-affiliated?': Today So Far

Let's get something straight: NPR is not state-affiliated media. Neither are the many public radio outlets that are part of NPR's network. Twitter labeled NPR as "state-affiliated media" last week (which is not true). This tag is also used for news outlets in Russia or China that are controlled by the government and are associated with propaganda.

After some back-and-forth with NPR, Twitter CEO Elon Musk slightly walked back on the issue. NPR is now labeled as "government-funded media," which is not exactly accurate — it's less than 1% accurate. That's how much money NPR gets from the government. NPR gets a bunch of its money from stations like KUOW, which pay to be a part of its network. If NPR is getting a nice chunk of change from the feds, then we've been wasting a whole lot of time begging you to donate to KUOW to help keep our lights on.

In the wake of the Twitter move, news organizations under NPR's wing have come out in opposition to the label. KUOW is among them. The following is from KUOW President and General Manager Caryn Mathes.