Goodbye, blue checks.
Twitter started removing verified badges Thursday from users who don’t subscribe to the social media’s paid subscription service Twitter Blue.
In the past, the blue check next to a profile’s name, which didn’t cost anything, had been a way for users to verify an account was determined by Twitter to be authentic and run by the person or organization tied to it. Now, users who pay $8 a month for Twitter Blue receive the check.
Those who don’t pay — including many public figures, politicians and journalists — are now losing their verification badges.
This includes Chicago Sun-Times reporters and editors, as well as the paper’s sports account and breaking news account.
For now, the Sun-Times’ main account still has a gold checkmark, signaling it’s an organization verified by Twitter. However, the site has said organizations will eventually have to pay $1,000 a month to keep their badges, plus an additional $50 a month for each affiliated account.
The Sun-Times continues to post to Twitter, and staff accounts can be found on this Twitter list.
Readers can also keep up with coverage on the Sun-Times’ Instagram and Facebook accounts, as well as by subscribing to our newsletters and buying a newspaper.
