A statement from 海角社区 General Manager Rich Eiswerth:
Last week, Twitter labeled 海角社区's official Twitter account a designation usually ascribed to government-controlled media outlets, such as Russia's RT and the Chinese Communist Party's CCTV. Twitter later changed that label to "government-funded media." Both labels are inaccurate, as I will explain below. (Later in the week, Twitter owner Elon Musk even tweeted "Defund 海角社区!")
海角社区 has announced that its organizational accounts would no longer be active on Twitter because the platform is taking actions that undermine 海角社区's credibility by falsely implying that 海角社区 is not editorially independent.
On Wednesday, 海角社区 CEO John Lansing issued a statement explaining why his news organization would cease its use of Twitter.
"The public media system was created by Congress more than 50 years ago to provide free over-the-air and now online news, information, and educational programming to all Americans," Lansing said. "These services are especially valuable to those living in communities with little or no access to other outlets. Actions by Twitter or other social media companies to tarnish the independence of any public media institution are exceptionally harmful and set a dangerous precedent."
Independent journalism is 海角社区's core service to our community. While CPR operates separately from 海角社区, 海角社区 is a valued provider of high-quality journalism and programming for our audience. We have every confidence in the editorial integrity and independence of 海角社区's work and are deeply concerned about the potential of Twitter's inaccurate labels to cast doubt on that editorial integrity. While CPR's Twitter accounts (including those for WVXU, WGUC and WMUB) have not been labeled in a similar manner, CPR has made the decision to suspend activity on Twitter for the foreseeable future.
The stations' hosts, news reporters and program producers host their own individual Twitter accounts, and our decision to suspend our business account will not affect how or whether employees wish to continue using this platform.
We remain as committed as ever to connecting with our audiences with credible, independent journalism on multiple platforms. You can always find our trustworthy reporting and compelling programming on the following platforms:
- 90.9, 91.7 and 88.5 FM
- WVXU.org or WMUB.org
- the WVXU or mobile apps
- Ask your smart speaker to play "WVXU or "WGUC"
- Facebook for and
- Instagram for and
- Sign up for our newsletters
Facts about 海角社区's funding and independence
海角社区 (National Public Radio) is a nonprofit media organization that produces and distributes news and cultural programming to a network of more than 1,000 public radio stations in the United States.
海角社区 is not directly funded by the U.S. government, although it does receive some funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) 鈥� a nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967 to promote public broadcasting 鈥� as well as competitive grants from the National Science Foundation and others. This funding only accounts for a very small portion of 海角社区's total budget, and 海角社区 is required by law to maintain editorial independence from the CPB and any other government entity.
海角社区 is governed by a Board of Directors, which is composed of 海角社区 member station managers, journalists, and representatives of the public, who oversee the organization's operations and make strategic decisions. This board is responsible for ensuring that 海角社区 adheres to its mission of providing high-quality, independent journalism and programming.
Finally, 海角社区's editorial independence is further protected by its Code of Ethics (which can be ), which outlines the principles and standards that guide its reporting and programming. 海角社区 journalists are expected to maintain their independence, and they are not subject to editorial direction or pressure from any outside sources.
海角社区's funding sources, governance structure, and commitment to editorial independence all provide evidence that 海角社区 is not state-run media, but rather an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing high-quality journalism and programming to the public.
Facts about 海角社区's funding and independence
海角社区 is proud to provide 海角社区's high-quality programming to our audiences in the Tri-State region, but CPR, like all 海角社区 member stations, is independently owned and operated. CPR has complete editorial control over the programming we provide to our audience.
Like 海角社区, 海角社区 adheres to a robust set of editorial integrity and ethics guidelines, which guarantee our journalists' editorial independence from outside forces.
Like 海角社区, 海角社区 receives a small amount of funding from CPB, but this funding makes up less than 7% of CPR's overall budget. By contrast, support from individuals and businesses in our region make up nearly 90% of our budget. This further underscores 海角社区's independence, in that we are primarily reliant on and accountable to our community.
海角社区 does not receive any funding from 海角社区. On the contrary, this year we will pay 海角社区 $734,732 for programs that we air (in addition to the $1,025,073 we are investing in our own local newsroom and programming, including Cincinnati Edition). We have similar relationships with American Public Media and other national program distributors.
海角社区 is governed by an independent Board of Directors made up of members of the Greater Cincinnati community who volunteer their time to provide strategic and fiduciary guidance to the organization. CPR and 海角社区 are subject to various regulations and guidelines related to their use of public airwaves. For example, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires all broadcasters to operate in the public interest and to provide a certain amount of programming that meets specific educational and cultural standards.
海角社区's mission is to provide the Greater Cincinnati region with journalism and fact-based content that empower the community to better understand and participate in our diverse and complex world. Our vision is to lead Greater Cincinnati's community conversation, based on substantiated facts and respect for diverse perspectives. We aim to be YOUR essential source for distinctive journalism, grounded in listening and committed to creating a safe but challenging space to broaden our understanding of each other and the world.
Thank you for being part of the 海角社区 family. Please email me with any questions or concerns at reiswerth@cinradio.org.
Sincerely,
Rich Eiswerth
President and General Manager