Elon Musk's X Removes Verification Badge From New York Times' Account

The social media platform X, previously Twitter, has stripped the New York Times of its gold “verified” badge amid criticisms from X owner, Elon Musk. The removal occurred without prior notice, according to a source.

As per The Washington Post report, the badge distinguished the Times’ 55-million-follower account from imposters, especially crucial during the current major global conflicts in Israel and Ukraine. Other news organizations, including The Washington Post, still retain their gold badges as of Thursday afternoon.

Since Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of the platform in April, X altered its verification system. Instead of verifying the identities of politicians and public figures, X adopted a pay-for-play scheme, charging $8 a month for a blue badge and $1,000 a month for a gold badge for any “verified organization”.

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The Times, along with The Washington Post, opted not to pay the fee. Despite this, X reinstated the Times’ badge in April, only to remove it now. As a result, the Times has seen a roughly 50% drop in website traffic from X links since August, a decline far exceeding the industry-wide slowdown in referrals.

Musk’s contentious relationship with the Times is well-documented. In August, he accused the publication of supporting “calls for genocide.” This latest move signals Musk’s continued attempts to leverage the social media platform against news organizations he disapproves of.

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