Why is there an exemption for news organizations?

The intention of this policy is to provide the public with greater transparency into ads that seek to influence people’s stance on issues that may influence election outcomes. We don’t believe that news organizations running ads on Twitter that report on these issues, rather than advocate for or against them, should be subject to this policy.

How does a news organization know if it qualifies for the exemption?

A news organization must meet all of the following criteria:

• The publication’s website must have a minimum of 200,000 monthly unique visitors in the US.
• Contact information is available online.
• ‘About’ information is available online.
• Dedicated reporter/editorial staff information is available online. 
• The publication has a searchable archive available online.
• The publication is not primarily a user-generated or aggregated content platform.
• The publication is not dedicated to advocating on a single issue.

News organizations can also submit affiliated journalists for exemption. These accounts will need to meet the following requirements:

• Journalist’s name in Twitter profile.
• Bio discloses affiliation to news publisher and links to the publication’s website.
• Bio states they are a journalist.
• Journalist must be listed on news organization’s website.