The White House will not pay to have its staff’s official Twitter profiles continue to be verified, according to guidance issued to staffers via an email obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: Official White House staffers rely on their verified accounts to inform the public on behalf of the administration. Verification, combined with the designated Twitter profiles, helped to ensure the public could trust those messages.
Details: “It is our understanding that Twitter Blue does not provide person-level verification as a service. Thus, a blue check mark will now simply serve as a verification that the account is a paid user,” White House director of digital strategy Rob Flaherty told staffers in an email sent Friday afternoon.
– The guidance, which was sent internally to White House staffers, doesn’t necessarily apply to government agencies, but a source familiar with White House plans said it may send guidance to some agencies and departments in the future.
Catch up quick: Elon Musk announced earlier this month that Twitter will begin removing legacy verified check marks on April 1.
– The company has been warning users with legacy verified accounts that in order to retain their blue check marks, they would need to pay for them via Twitter Blue, Twitter’s new $8 monthly subscription service that allows anyone who pays to be verified with a blue check mark.
– Official organizations, such as the White House and some government officials, will continue to be verified with a grey check mark, Twitter said. Some White House officials, like the President and Vice President, will likely continue to be verified with a grey checkmark, but an administration source said it’s unclear at this time exactly which officials will retain grey checks.
– In his email, Flaherty noted that per Twitter’s updated policies, Twitter will no longer be able to guarantee verification for federal agency accounts that do not meet its new eligibility requirements.
– Companies and businesses that wish to pay for verification on the enterprise level can do so on behalf of their official accounts and some employees. Those companies will be charged $1000 monthly and will be designated with a gold check mark.
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The big picture: Government officials, celebrities and notable figures have for years relied on Twitter’s verification system to ensure that their accounts weren’t spoofed.
– Many, including most newsrooms, vowed not to pay for accreditation, arguing that it no longer signals authority if any user can purchase a check mark.
– Citing an internal document, The New York Times reported Thursday that Twitter will make an exception for its top 500 advertisers and its 10,000 most-followed organizations that have been previously verified.
- Discussion
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Scoop: @WhiteHouse won’t pay for @Twitter verification
— It will not enroll in Twitter’s “Verification for Organization” program either
— It also won’t reimburse staff who chose to pay for Twitter Blue either
Story on @axios: https://t.co/y2PFtOXuz8— Sara Fischer (@sarafischer) March 31, 2023
All going swell https://t.co/RygFbk0EAn
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) March 31, 2023
You know, if @POTUS doesn't need a blue check, pretty sure I can manage too.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) March 31, 2023
Also, when you write for The Washington Post, *we* pay *you* https://t.co/5gwBNBcBwW
— Chris Suellentrop (@suellentrop) March 31, 2023
New: The New York Times says it is not planning to pay for Twitter verification:
"We aren't planning to pay the monthly fee for verification of our institutional Twitter accounts," a spokesperson tells me.
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) March 30, 2023
BuzzFeed a no on paying for staff's blue checks: "As an organization, we will not cover fees for individuals to keep their blue checkmarks moving forward. There are several reasons for this, but one outweighs them all: a blue checkmark no longer means the handle is 'verified.'"
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) March 30, 2023
POLITICO also tells staff: "In the future, a checkmark will no longer mean you are a verified journalist. Instead, it will simply mean you are paying for benefits such as longer tweets and fewer ads. POLITICO will not pay for you to subscribe to Twitter Blue."
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) March 30, 2023
"The Washington Post will not pay for Twitter Blue service as an institution or on behalf of our journalists," a spokesperson says. "It's evident that verified checkmarks no longer represent authority and expertise."
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) March 30, 2023
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