Spokesman Leon Mar says the Crown corporation will look for other platforms to direct Canadians to its websites and streaming services.

“The audience that comes to us from X is small. “X is one of the smallest traffic sources,” he adds.

Without providing specific data, he cited a Reuters Institute report that said only 11% of Canadians used X to get information.

The CBC/Radio-Canada announced in May that it would resume postings to its various accounts after suspending them for just a few weeks. Similar labels were also awarded to other public broadcasters such as the BBC and National Public Radio (NRP).

NRP said his departure from X resulted in “an expected small decline in viewership.”

“Prior to this decision, Twitter shares represented less than 2% of NPR.org’s total audience, with the majority coming from our two main accounts. [@npr and @nprpolitics], indicates the network’s communications manager, Isabel Lara. NRP experienced a one percentage point decline in visits to its website. »

The state-owned company challenged the “state-funded media” label that X had placed on its accounts. In a letter to Nick Pickles, an executive at X, the CBC recalled that the government was not involved in its editorial decisions.

“Twitter said labeling media was about helping Twitter users see more clearly. “In this case, the label did the opposite,” we read in the letter obtained by The Canadian Press Access to information law.

“CBC/Radio-Canada is funded by a combination of appropriations voted by all MPs and revenues from its commercial sector,” emphasized the letter’s author, Claude Galipeau, senior vice-president, corporate development.

The House of Commons approves funding for CBC/Radio-Canada, not just the government. This includes the editorial independence of the national company Broadcasting Act.

Mr Galipeau claimed that the term “publicly funded media” would have been more accurate.

“Twitter can be a powerful way for our journalists to communicate with Canadians, but [la plateforme] undermines their trustworthiness and professionalism by misrepresenting our independence. »

Leon Mar said X never responded to the letter.

However, four days after sending the letter, X removed the endorsement from a number of public broadcasters, including CBC/Radio-Canada, without explanation.