A New York Times spokesperson confirmed the newspaper will forgo its verified check mark status on Twitter, Reuters reported Sunday.
The move came hours after the newspaper lost its verification on the platform, which for organizations now costs $1,000 a month and comes in the form of a golden badge, according to Reuters.
Twitter announced its plans to remove check marks from non-paying individuals and organizations previously participating in the platform’s legacy verified program would take effect April 1. Individuals can now purchase a blue check mark in the United States with prices starting at $7, the outlet reported.
A New York Times spokesperson said the paper “will not reimburse reporters for Twitter Blue for personal accounts, except in rare instances where this status would be essential for reporting purposes,” Reuters reported.
Professional athletes Lebron James and Patrick Mahomes along with journalist Dan Rather announced their decisions to forgo paying to keep their blue check marks on the platform, according to Forbes.
Politico has also chosen not to pay for the verification of Twitter accounts belonging to staff members, according to an internal memo obtained by Reuters.
Twitter overhauled its verified check marks this weekend — but seemingly only for The New York Times account https://t.co/1Djc1mVyzH
— Insider Media (@insidermedia) April 2, 2023
Some advertisers and highly-followed organizations will reportedly be allowed to keep their check marks on the platform without paying a subscription fee. Subscribing accounts will receive more editing options along with the ability to craft longer tweets, according to Forbes.
An Axios report from late March highlighted an additional exemption for White House staffers, who will not have to pay for their check marks on the platform. (RELATED: Twitter’s Pre-Musk Censorship Team Was Stacked With Liberals, Activists)
The New York Times, in a Friday report, noted the verified subscription program could potentially make it harder for Twitter users to discern differences between real and fake accounts.
Elon Musk, who in a Sunday tweet described The New York Times’ Twitter feed as “propaganda” and “the Twitter equivalent of diarrhea,” laid off employees and reinstated previously-banned accounts after he acquired the social media platform in an October 2022 deal roughly valued at $44 billion.