Musk's Twitter promised a purge of blue check marks. Instead he singled out the New York Times

Elon Musk's plan to purge Twitter users of their coveted blue check marks may have been expected, but the way it was executed has sparked confusion and outrage among many high-profile accounts.

The billionaire entrepreneur announced in April that Twitter would begin winding down its old verification system, which had emphasized protecting high-profile users at risk of impersonation. To stay verified, Musk said users would have to pay $8 per month for the platform's Twitter Blue subscription service. The plan was met with resistance from some prominent users, who argued that paying for a feature meant by its design was intended to keep them safe should they be targeted by scammers or bots.

However, instead of pursuing this route, Musk chose to single out one major publication – The New York Times – for removal of its blue check mark. This unusual move has raised eyebrows among many in the industry and sparked a heated debate about free speech and journalistic integrity.

Musk's decision appears to be motivated by his personal dislike of The New York Times' coverage, which he claims is boring and "propaganda." His tweets against the outlet are not unique, as he often lashes out at journalists or media outlets who disagree with him. Nevertheless, this latest move has sparked a larger conversation about how Twitter handles verification and moderation.

The impact on users, particularly high-profile accounts, could be far-reaching. By removing The New York Times' blue check mark without explanation, Musk has created confusion among many users. While the account's other pages remained verified, this move highlights the inconsistent nature of Twitter's verification policy.

It remains to be seen how long Musk will continue this approach or if he will revisit his plans for a paid verification system. One thing is certain: it has sparked a heated debate about free speech and journalistic integrity on Twitter.

The billionaire's campaign against "legacy" blue checks has been ongoing since shortly after he purchased the platform last fall. Musk has argued that treating everyone equally by charging users to stay verified will drive revenue, which could help him pay off his significant debt.

However, critics argue that this approach could create more problems than it solves. The new label attached to verified accounts makes it unclear whether they are notable individuals or simply users who have paid to join Twitter Blue. Experts in inauthentic behavior have also expressed concerns that reserving verification for paid users may not reduce the number of bots on the site.

Musk's decision has sparked widespread criticism, with many calling for greater transparency and consistency in Twitter's moderation policies. As the platform continues to evolve under his leadership, one thing is clear: Musk's approach to free speech and journalistic integrity will continue to be a subject of intense debate and scrutiny.

idk what's going on with twitter rn... musk just removed ny times from blue check mark without even explainin why he did it. like, if i were in his shoes, i'd wanna know why too lol . but seriously, this whole thing is gettin me all confused. it's like, they changed the rules again and now high-profile accounts are stuck . and what's with musk thinkin users gotta pay 8 bucks a month to stay verified? that's just greedy . i mean, shouldn't the people who are important enough to need verification be verified for free or somethin'? anywayz, this whole thing is just a big mess right now...

this whole blue check mark debacle is just another example of how easily people can get worked up over nothing i mean, come on @elonmusk likes to bash The New York Times but what's the real issue here? is it really that sensitive for you to take away their verification? Newsflash: you're still a billionaire with a massive platform. we don't need you policing free speech the whole thing just reeks of controversy and attention-seeking. can't we just have a calm conversation about how Twitter handles verification instead of all this drama?

can you believe this? elon musk is basically ruining twitter by making it impossible for us to know who's legit and who's just paying for blue check marks like, what even is the point of that? it's not like he's going to make sure all those bots are gone or anything. and now the new york times is getting singled out without any explanation? really? this whole thing is just so messed up

idk what's going on here . so musk just takes away the blue check mark from nytimes and now ppl are freaking out . i mean, who needs verification anyway? if you're that important, shouldn't you have a way to prove it? this whole thing is like one big mess . and btw, $8 a month for blue check mark? that's a total joke . musk's just trying to stir up drama as usual .

omg u gotta wonder what elon's really thinkin' this blue check mark drama is gettin like super weird newsflash elon's got beefs with some big names but wut's good about punishin the ny times? they're just tryna do their job i mean don't get me wrong i'm all for callin out fake news but come on elon can't we have a convo without losin it twitter's like a crazy aunt who can't decide if she likes u or not what's next is he gonna take away our avocado toast or somethin?

omg what's going on with twitter musk is just straight up targeting the nytimes now that's low even if he doesn't like their coverage shouldn't it stay verified just cuz? anyone else think this is a huge mistake or am i just overreacting

I'm not sure if I'd say this is good or bad... but it's making me think about why we pay for things. Like, Elon's idea to charge $8/month for Twitter Blue was meant to keep high-profile users safe, right? But now that he's doing it differently, it feels like we're just paying for a label instead of actual protection. It got me thinking: what are we really getting paid for? Is it the convenience, the safety, or something else entirely? Maybe this is an opportunity to rethink what verification means and how we value our online presence...

I think this whole blue check mark drama is a total mess . I mean, come on, Elon Musk can't just go around targeting certain accounts because he doesn't like what they're saying. It's like, hello, you own Twitter now, but that doesn't give you the right to play judge and jury. And what's with the $8 monthly fee? That's just gonna make people who already have the means to pay it even more influential on the platform. Meanwhile, those of us who can't afford it are just gonna have to deal with the noise .

And let's be real, Musk has always had a beef with The New York Times anyway . It's not like this is some kind of surprise move. But still, you'd think he'd handle it better than by basically calling them out for being "boring" and "propaganda". That's just not how you do public discourse, dude .

I'm also super confused about why Musk thought removing The New York Times' blue check mark was a good idea. It's like, what's the point of even having verification if it's just gonna be arbitrary and unfair? And now that it's been done, I think we're all just gonna have to wait and see how this plays out . One thing's for sure, though: Musk's approach to free speech and journalistic integrity is definitely not something to be trusted .

I'm not surprised by this move ... I mean, what did we expect from Elon's Twitter? He's always been about stirring up drama. Now, he's trying to dictate who gets that blue check mark and who doesn't. Newsflash: it's just gonna lead to more drama and controversy. I mean, who does he think he is, deciding what's "boring" or "propaganda"? And now The New York Times has lost its credibility because of it? Yeah, real subtle move, Elon...

And let's be real, this just another example of his ego and desire for control. He thinks he can dictate what's "notable" or who gets verified just by paying a fee. Please. Twitter Blue is just gonna become a cash cow for him to make more money off users who want to stay verified. The problem with bots? Who cares? It's not like it's stopping them from spreading their fake news and propaganda.

This whole thing is just another reason why I'm not investing my time or money in this platform anymore

idk about this elon musk's move on twitter is so confusing i mean what's up with taking away the blue check mark from ny times? like they're just trying to silence critics or something and now users are all like "wait what's verified, what's not?" it feels like musk is more concerned about his own ego than actual user safety like, if he wants to pay for a verification system, that's fine, but don't single out one publication like that newsflash: having a blue check mark doesn't mean you're right or popular, it just means you're a big deal

[Image of a confused meme face ]

[ GIF of a blue check mark being removed with a red X ]

i'm so done with this blue check mark debacle . like, what even is the point of verifying people in the first place? it's just going to create more confusion on the platform. and now that musk has decided to single out specific users, it's just a whole mess. the new york times got hit without explanation and i'm sure many others will follow suit soon . it's all about making money for musk at this point, which is just not right. we should be focusing on promoting real journalism and free speech, not just raking in cash from verified users . can't believe how inconsistent twitter's verification policy is now either . it's like musk thinks he can just make up his own rules as he goes along .

idk about this whole blue check thing , seems like it's just another way for Musk to stir up drama & controversy on Twitter . the fact that he's targeting The New York Times is low-key suspicious . i mean, who gets to decide what's 'boring' or 'propaganda'?

anyway, it's kinda weird that he's single-handedly deciding who gets verified & who doesn't . shouldn't be about the $8 a month tho . what if someone pays for blue check but is still not notable? that just creates more confusion .

i'm all for free speech, but comes with some responsibility . Twitter needs to step up their game & make these moderation policies way more transparent . this whole thing is giving me a major anxiety attack

I'm totally confused about what's going on with Twitter right now ... I mean, I get that Elon wants to make money, but this verification thingy just doesn't feel right. It's like he's playing favorites or something . One minute you're all verified and blue-checked, the next you're not . And why was The New York Times single out for removal? That just seems like a personal vendetta to me . I'm worried about how this is gonna affect users, especially big accounts. It's already got everyone talking about free speech and journalistic integrity... can't we just have a simple verification system without all the drama ?

omg, what is goin on at twitter ? musk think he can just single out nytimes for removin that blue check mark? like, whats the point of even havin one if its just gonna be tossed around willy-nilly? and now its causin all sorts of confusion among users... some ppl are sayin its a free speech issue, while others think its just musk tryin to stir up drama

anywayz, i gotta ask... if the payed verification is gonna be $8/month... how many ppl can afford that? seems like a pretty steep price tag for somethin thats supposed to be about keepin users safe. and lets be real, musk's been tryin to screw over journalists for ages so this whole thing feels like just another move in his playbook

OMG what's going on with Elon ! He's just picking on The New York Times like that ... I mean, I know they're not always agreeing with him, but come on, blue check marks shouldn't be about who you're pals with or hate . And $8 a month for Twitter Blue? Are you kidding me?! That's not a verification system, that's just another way to make money off users . It's so unfair that The New York Times got singled out like this... I feel bad for the journalists who have to deal with all this drama . And honestly, it just shows how clueless Elon is about Twitter's real issues . Can't he just leave things alone and focus on making his own platform work instead of trying to mess with everyone else's ?

just think about it, if you're gonna charge people to stay verified, why make it so hard to understand what that means? Musk should just stick with the old way, at least then everyone knew they were important accounts or not

I'm low-key shocked that Elon's trying to get rid of verified accounts altogether... like, what's up with targeting The New York Times? It just feels like another example of him playing the martyr and using Twitter as his soapbox. Newsflash, Elon: your tweets against The NYT aren't exactly subtle .

And can we talk about how this whole thing is just a PR move to cover for his own lack of transparency on moderation policies? Like, if you're really committed to making Twitter safer for users, why not just explain what's going on instead of playing it coy?

I'm also super confused about the whole paid verification thing... it feels like a money grab and I don't get why anyone would want to pay extra for something that's supposed to be a safety net. Not to mention, it's just gonna create more problems than it solves, imo.

At the end of the day, though, this is all just a distraction from the real issues at hand... like how Twitter can actually keep scammers and bots in check . We need some solid moderation policies in place ASAP!

I'm telling you, it's like when we used to think that paying for a gym membership meant we were somehow better than others who couldn't afford it... nope, it was just a way to make us feel good about ourselves . Elon Musk is trying to do the same thing with his paid verification system – he's giving high-profile accounts a blue check mark, but for a price . It's like he's saying, "Hey, if you want to be verified, you gotta shell out some cash." But what about those who can't afford it? Don't they deserve the same level of credibility and trust? It's all about creating division and making people feel like they're missing out . The thing is, when we start to value things based on price tag rather than their inherent worth, that's when problems start to arise . We need to take a step back and think about what's really important here – not the money we pay for something, but the value it brings to our lives .