Journalists Criticize Twitter’s New Direction
(Journalists Critique Twitter’s New Features)
NEW YORK. Many journalists express strong concerns about recent changes to Twitter. They say new features harm the platform’s value for news sharing and public discussion. Twitter now offers a paid subscription service. This service gives paying users special advantages. Paying users get priority placement for their replies under popular tweets. Paying users also see their posts boosted in visibility. Journalists worry this system buries important news updates. News updates often come from accounts not paying for the service. This makes it harder for the public to find reliable information quickly.
The new algorithm favors content from paying subscribers. This happens regardless of the content’s actual importance or accuracy. News professionals argue this undermines Twitter’s core purpose. Twitter was a key place for real-time news. It allowed reporters to share breaking developments directly. Experts fear verified misinformation might now spread more easily. Misinformation could gain prominence simply because someone paid for it. This creates a dangerous situation for public understanding.
(Journalists Critique Twitter’s New Features)
Journalists also dislike the removal of old verification checks. The blue checkmark once signified a confirmed identity. Now it mostly shows someone pays a monthly fee. This loss of clear verification confuses users. Users struggle to identify trustworthy sources. Several major news organizations report their engagement dropping sharply. Their posts reach fewer people. This impacts their ability to inform the public effectively. Reporters feel the platform actively works against their work. They built audiences on Twitter over many years. These changes threaten that connection. The shift towards paid prominence feels like a fundamental break from Twitter’s past role. Many journalists are actively exploring other platforms. They seek alternatives that better support news distribution.