Why top organisations, celebrities don't want to pay Elon Musk for Twitter Blue verified tick

Twitter Blue was introduced late last year but the changes are becoming apparent now. Many individuals and organisations are losing their coveted Blue checkmark as they transition to the subscription era. Elon Musk clarified that it will be a luxury only for those willing to pay for it. Prominent news organisations based in the US have lost their blue checkmark. They have proactively decided not to pay for the subscription. News publishers like New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times have already declared that they won't be paying for the blue tick. 

Elon Musk removed the 'gold tick' from New York Times' account shortly after calling it a 'propaganda' outlet. He also called the publisher hypocritical for forcing their subscription on readers. 

New York Times also decided not to pay the price for a verified 'Gold' checkmark which costs $1000 per month organizations and $50 for each affiliated account. In an NYT article, the company also announced that it won't reimburse the payments of its journalist who pay for the Twitter Blue subscription, until and unless it is necessary for reporting. 

"The New York Times, which has nearly 55 million followers on Twitter, said on Thursday that it would not pay for the verified badge for its institutional accounts, including @nytimes. The Times also told its journalists that it would not reimburse them for a Twitter Blue subscription, except in rare cases when it was necessary for reporting," the article stated.

Why are organisations not willing to pay Elon Musk? 

Twitter's decision to phase out its legacy verification program is worrying many organisations and individuals. The direct explanation could be the added costs, however, that is not the primary reason why these organisations are unwilling to pay. The move has raised concerns about the role of the blue checkmark in establishing credibility for news organizations. Twitter's new "Verified for Organizations" program is now available globally.

Several prominent organizations, including The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post, have confirmed that they will not be paying for the service. The Los Angeles Times claimed that the verification no longer establishes authority or credibility and The Washington Post also claimed that the verification mark doesn't represent 'authority and expertise'.

Also read: Elon Musk keeps his promise as Twitter officially makes some of its source code public

Apart from news organisations, even prominent celebrities like NBA player Lebron James and actor William Shartner have decided to let go of the blue checkmark.

Twitter's decision to phase out its legacy verification program and introduce a paid service has prompted these organizations to re-evaluate the significance of the blue checkmark in establishing credibility. With more organizations refusing to pay for the service, the verified checkmark might start losing its value as a sign of legitimacy.