National Public Radio's business reporter Bobby Allyn reported Wednesday that Twitter owner Elon Musk directly emailed him and threatened to give the outlet’s handle and account username "@NPR" to another account if it remained inactive on the platform.
Allyn noted how Musk’s "threat," as the report characterized it, was victimizing the company in a shocking way that made the billionaire out to seem like a bully.
Allyn cited one journalism professor who called the emails an "extraordinary threat."
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Musk’s emails to NPR are his latest response to the outlet’s declaration last month that it was "quitting Twitter" after the social media platform officially designated it as "state-affiliated media."
Following the incident, Allyn emailed Musk directly, stating, "Because of the label, NPR is quitting Twitter across all of our 50+ accounts. Our executives say the government-funded media label calls into question our editorial independence and undermines our credibility."
Musk shared a screenshot of the email on April 12 and provided a cheeky two word response: "Defund @NPR."
Now, nearly three weeks later, Allyn reported that Musk has emailed the outlet telling it that he will give its old handle to new accounts since NPR has gone inactive.
At the outset of his Wednesday piece, Allyn wrote, "Elon Musk has threatened to reassign NPR's Twitter account to ‘another company.’"
He explained, "In a series of emails sent to this reporter, Musk said he would transfer the network's main account on Twitter, under the @NPR handle, to another organization or person." He then mentioned how third-party observers have found this move shocking, even for the billionaire.
"The idea shocked even longtime observers of Musk's spur-of-the-moment and erratic leadership style," Allyn wrote. He then complained that such a decision could allow others to potentially impersonate the media outlet, stating, "Handing over established accounts to third parties poses a serious risk of impersonation and could imperil a company's reputation, said social media experts."
Attempting to further condemn Musk’s ask that he take the outlet’s old username back after it "quit" Twitter, Allyn cited Columbia Journalism School professor Emily Bell, who said, "It's really an extraordinary threat to make."
The apparently rattled reporter provided the contents of some of Musk’s "extraordinary threats." In the first one, Musk asked, "So is NPR going to start posting on Twitter again, or should we reassign @NPR to another company?"
In a subsequent email, Musk said, "Our policy is to recycle handles that are definitively dormant. Same policy applies to all accounts. No special treatment for NPR."
Allyn’s response seemed to say that Musk’s demands weren’t in accordance with Twitter policy. In the piece, he wrote, "Under Twitter's terms of service, an account's inactivity is based on logging in, not tweeting. Those rules state that an account must be logged into at least every 30 days, and that ‘prolonged inactivity’ can result in it being permanently removed."
The reporter added, "Musk did not answer when asked whether he planned to change the platform's definition of inactivity and he declined to say what prompted his new questions about NPR's lack of participation on Twitter."
He then characterized Musk’s emails as a "threat of retaliation," saying, "The threat of retaliation is the latest volley in a months-long conflict between Musk and established media organizations since the billionaire purchased Twitter in October."
Allyn’s piece also blasted the billionaire’s general stance towards the press, stating, "Musk has long attacked the media and attempted to undercut the credibility of journalists."
It also trashed his performance in running Twitter, saying, "By recently making ‘verified’ blue checks available for purchase, Musk has created a turbulent social media landscape, blurring the lines for users between what is real and what is fake on one of the most influential social networks."
