Elon Musk announces new Twitter feature allowing publishers to charge readers ‘per article’

Elon Musk announced Saturday that Twitter will soon allow media publishers to charge readers on a per-article basis, a move he says could be a “major win-win” for readers and media outlets.

“This platform will allow media publishers to charge users on a per article basis with one click,” the controversial billionaire tweeted Saturday afternoon.

“This enables users who would not sign up for a monthly subscription to pay a higher per-article price for when they want to read an occasional article,” he added.

It’s unclear how or when exactly the new feature will kick off, other than Musk saying it will be rolled out “next month.”

Musk also didn’t offer any details on how much the service would cost, how payments would be made, or which type of publishers would be eligible to charge their readers.

Twitter did not respond to a request for comment from The New York Daily News, and as of Saturday afternoon, there was no mention of the new feature on the company’s website.

The announcement follows a turbulent month that saw the once-respected social media giant being ridiculed in traditional media, on late-night TV, and in online think pieces, as well as becoming the butt of the joke in a growing number of memes going viral on Twitter’s own pages.

Chaos ensued shortly after the troubled platform—which was acquired by Musk in October of last year for $44 billion—began removing legacy verified checkmarks from non-paying users earlier this month.

The now-infamous blue checkmarks, once a symbol of online status, became a political badge symbolic of a deeply polarized world.

The blowback to the new policy was swift, leading some popular accounts—from Lil Nas X to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology—to vehemently deny they have not paid for a premium service.

Earlier this month, some prominent media outlets—including NPR and PBS—announced they would leave the platform over objections against a “state-affiliated media” label, which Twitter had added to their accounts. Musk has since revised his position.

On Thursday, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it would no longer use the platform to provide real-time transit information.

“Twitter is no longer reliable for providing the consistent updates riders expect,” the agency tweeted Thursday. “So today, we’re saying goodbye to it for service alerts and information.”

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