Now that Elon Musk is the owner of Twitter, some changes are coming to the platform, one being the charging of verified users to hold onto their blue checkmark.
Musk said Twitter intends to introduce an $8 monthly verification fee, no matter how much users complain. Initially, the Tesla CEO intended to charge $20 a month, but many, like author Stephen King, spoke out, resulting in Musk lowering the fee.
On Tuesday’s edition of “Media Buzz Meter,” host Howard Kurtz wrestled with the idea of paying a fee to maintain his verified status.
“I was asked about this on Guy Benson’s radio show the other day, and I said, ‘You know, I thought it was $20 a year. I said, that might be worth it because supposedly you get other benefits, access to stuff that people don’t have, and you got to consider whether it’s a trade-off,'” Kurtz said.
“Well, Twitter is, as much as I have a love-hate relationship with, it is a big part of my ability to promote not myself, but the podcast and media buzz and my columns online.”
Many, like Kurtz, will be wrestling with whether $8 a month is worth keeping their verified checkmarks on Twitter. Musk doesn’t want to rely solely on advertising money, considering some companies might be pausing their income into the platform.
Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.
