Bye bye blue checkmarks: Twitter removes legacy verifications

Catch up quick: Last month, Twitter announced it will begin removing legacy verified checkmarks on April 1.

• Individuals with legacy verified accounts who want to retain their blue checks will need to pay for Twitter Blue, the company's new $8 monthly subscription service that allows anyone who pays to be verified.
• Twitter was offering a discounted $84-a-year subscription Thursday.
• Official organizations, including the White House and some government officials, will continue to be verified with a grey check mark, per Twitter.
• Companies and businesses can pay $1000 a month for verification and will receive a gold check mark.

Between the lines: Government officials, celebrities and notable figures have for years relied on Twitter's verification system to ensure that their accounts weren't spoofed, Axios' Sara Fischer writes.

• Many, including most newsrooms, have vowed not to pay for accreditation, arguing that it no longer signals authority if any user can purchase a checkmark.
• The White House also said it will not pay to be verified as an organization, nor will it pay to have its staff's official Twitter profiles continue to be verified.

Of note: Earlier this month, Twitter added a new "government-funded" label to a few select media outlets that receive some funding from governments, including NPR and PBS.

• Both outlets have indicated they won't resume tweeting unless the label is removed.
• After the New York Times said it would not pay to remain verified, Twitter removed the outlet's blue check mark.

Go deeper: SS Twitter takes on more water

• These media brands among those rejecting $1,000-a-month Twitter checkmark