Twitter Journalism

White House Official Uses Twitter To Deny CNN Reporter’s Claim

Ethan Klapper — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:27:26 +0000

It all started late Sunday afternoon, when CNN Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry tweeted a link to a blog post he wrote that said the White House believes Democratic Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley will lose Tuesday’s special Senate election to Republican Scott Brown.

Henry thought he had a scoop, explaining what was going on in six subsequent tweets.

But then came Deputy White House Press Secretary Bill Burton, who apparently just started tweeting from his @billburton44 account only two days ago.

“I wholeheartedly disagree: CNN: Obama advisors expect Coakley to lose: http://tinyurl.com/y928ugc,” Burton tweeted.

A number of high profile Twitter users noticed this public disagreement more commonly found in the White House Briefing Room or in private e-mail conversations between reporters and White House Press Office staff.

“Looks like the White House deputy press sec @billburton44 is getting active on Twitter. Very cool,” tweeted Brian Stelter of The New York Times.

“@MediaLizzy PrezObama believes Coakley wins (per @BillBurton44); senior WH whispers don’t (per CNN). @edhenrycnn @KevinMaddenDC,” tweeted Tony Fratto, a former White House official in the second Bush administration.

Will we see Burton or others who work at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue instantly rebut more scoops from White House correspondents? In this case, it certainly worked effectively and changed the conversation from whether Coakley will win or lose to the uniqueness of Burton’s tweeting.

But in the future, it might not work as well. Many on Twitter might just dismiss tweets like that as White House spin — much like a written statement or an official doing the morning talk shows.

Either way, there’s no disputing that what happened on Sunday afternoon was pretty cool and probably unprecedented in Twitter’s relatively young history.

Follow Ethan Klapper on Twitter: @ethanklapper.

Twitter Tips For Journalists: Some Real-World Examples

Craig Kanalley — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 04:56:11 +0000

Steve Buttry of Gazette Communications is collecting tips on how journalists can use Twitter and real-world examples of how journalists have used Twitter in the past, both good and bad experiences.

Interested in updating his ‘Twitter Tips For Journalists’ post from July, he hopes to get your mind flowing with ideas with these two examples of Twitter in action:

Twitter was an invaluable tool for Bill Doskoch of toronto.ctv.ca in telling the story of a SWAT team swarming the office of a guy whose neighbor had seen him brandishing a handgun. The officers learned he had just assembled the toy handgun from a Legos kit. Bill’s account:

I was working the night it happened, and first heard of a gun call, but it didn’t sound like much. Next morning, I saw a Twitter link to Jeremy Bell’s blog post. I tracked him down at his office and eventually got a telephone interview with him.

He didn’t want to identify who sicced the cops on him, but by reading his Twitter feed, I could figure it out by myself. I contacted Michael Dent, did an interview, and he was kind enough to supply the picture. As near as I could tell, I was the only reporter to interview both parties and get the photo.

It’s not like great stories fall into my lap every day through Twitter, but it should still be part of every reporter’s toolbox. I would stress to young journos, however, that reporting should be treated as an active process, not a passive one.

The other story comes from Kate Dubinski, a reporter for the London Free Press, who wrote for the Canadian Journalism Project about live-tweeting the high-profile Bandidos murder trial — six men charged with eight counts of first-degree murder. I encourage you to read her full post, but here’s a passage:

In my view, the potential for Twitter is huge: we were first in getting out the verdicts, for example, which were then typed up for our site by people back in the newsroom. It offers a way to get people into the courtroom (or city council chambers) in a way that you can’t do with print or television. We interacted with people we never would have tracked down if it hadn’t been for tweeting the trial, and we interviewed them for more in-depth stories after the court case.

Many thanks to Buttry — @stevebuttry on Twitter and a great person to follow — for allowing Twitter Journalism to republish this piece of his recent blog post. Send your Twitter tips and stories his way (use hashtag #twjtips) or leave a comment here and we’ll make sure he gets it.

RELATED: New to Twitter? Don’t miss our “Quick Tips For Newbies” page.

How News Of Editor & Publisher Shutting Down Spread On Twitter

Craig Kanalley — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 09:45:42 +0000

News of Editor and Publisher shutting down made the rounds on Twitter in a hurry on Thursday. It escalated up the site’s “trending topics” as it was tweeted and retweeted hundreds of times in just minutes.

In fact, many said they first heard the news through Twitter – including Gina Chen and myself as a matter of fact. It makes sense, as journalists are following journalists, and the news spread quickly from one person to the next.

Some of the conversation went like this, as the news broke and people weighed in with first reactions:

11:11 a.m.:
@mattwaite: Wow. Editor and Publisher, gone: http://bit.ly/6EQZzl

11:15 a.m.:
@stevebuttry: Wow indeed! Best wishes in whatever comes next, @GregMitch & @JoeStrupp. RT @mattwaite Wow. Editor and Publisher, gone: http://bit.ly/6EQZzl

11:18 a.m.:
@jfdulac: RIP Editor & Publisher, which for 100+ yrs has covered the highs and many, many lows of the newspaper biz. Via @romenesko http://is.gd/5i81g

11:19 a.m.:
@scottmladd: Wow, irony. Editor and Publisher, gone: http://bit.ly/6EQZzl

11:23 a.m.:
@elisehelene: I am so stressed out about the double whammy of NYT buyouts and the closure of Editor & Publisher

11:24 a.m.:
@sfwriter: Sign of the times? Editor & Publisher to cease operations. http://is.gd/5i7nP (via @seeger and Romensko.

11:26 a.m.:
@johnmytaylor: Wait, if Editor and Publisher is shutting down, who’s going to write about other newspapers shutting down?

11:39 a.m.:
@Penenberg: Gourmet, Editor & Publisher and Kirkus are now gone, with more to come. It’s not the recession; it’s a paradigm shift.

11:43 a.m.:
@bdomenech: The end is near. RT @michaelscherer: RT @Slate: Nielsen shuts down Kirkus Reviews and Editor & Publisher http://bit.ly/6mxJPI

11:43 a.m.:
@jayrosen_nyu: Editor and Publisher dies. http://jr.ly/phxk

11:47 a.m.:
@RheaBecker: Editor & Publisher, 1 of THE oldest mags in US and a watchdog of the industry, has closed!!!

11:52 a.m.:
@carter_c: Well, this just says it all NEW YORK (AP) — Editor and Publisher, 108-year-old journalism industry publication, is shutting down.

11:54 a.m.:
@RandyNovak_NSA: an appeal… take it online! Nielsen folds Editor & Publisher and Kirkus Reviews: http://www.poynter.org/q/?id=A174719 via @addthis

Many remarked about Twitter being a trending topic, as the news flew across journalism circles through tweets and retweets.

12:00 p.m.:
@kurtsoller: The fact that “Editor & Publisher” is a trending topic reflects the deeply insular relationship between media and twitter, right?

12:01 p.m.:
@damonbleau: Editor and Publisher is now a trending topic. Gosh, there are a lot of media types on Twitter.

12:39 p.m.:
@neversent: “Editor & Publisher” and “Kirkus Reviews” are both trending topics on Twitter, which gives you an idea of who’s on here.

12:44 p.m.:
@nickjungman: So many media types on Twitter that “Editor & Publisher” and “E&P” are trending topics now.

12:47 p.m.:
@jfdulac: Twitterverse demographics: 39% journos? RT @ezraklein: Really surprised that Editor and Publisher is a trending topic on twitter.

12:51 p.m.:
@jtheibault: I’m surprised that both Editor and Publisher and Kirkus Reviews are trending topics. So few “scholarly” topics make it to trending.

12:52 p.m.:
@akerwin: Amazing that Editor & Publisher and E&P are trending topics right now….who knew so many fans?

1:11 p.m.:
@WisReader: The end of #Editor&Publisher is Twitter trending. Hmm. So surprising, and not surprising at the same time (the end, not Twitter-trend).

1:25 p.m.:
@BoraZ: RT @nancyshute @robertniles: ‘Editor & Publisher’ on Trending Topics suggests many un- and under-employed journos killing time on Twitter.

1:38 p.m.:
@MattBors: You mean Editor and Publisher can’t sustain themselves online with traffic from twitter trending topics?

Greg Mitch, editor of Editor and Publisher, sent a few of his own tweets, expressing shock and conveying a sense of hope that E&P could somehow still be saved. He was overwhelmed with Twitter messages — for hours:

11:23 a.m.
@3DJourno: @GregMitch | We are sorry to learn that Editor and Publisher will be shutting down operations. Your team will be missed in this mission.

11:44 a.m.:
@grhansen: @GregMitch E&P (and you) have long had a big impact on my career and knowledge. I know you’ll continue to do well. Thanks

12:53 p.m.:
@nSquib: @GregMitch Sorry to hear about E&P. Quite a sad year for media all around.

1:04 p.m.:
@letwits: @GregMitch No kidding. Huge loss. Will miss E&P, even though I was neither an E nor a P….

1:08 p.m.:
@GottaLaff: @GregMitch I just got on. What?! E&P demise? I am so sorry!! Sincerely.

2:50 p.m.:
@cweiser: @GregMitch I, for one, would pay a subscription fee for a new online only E&P.

4:18 p.m.:
@batpoet: Yes: RT @kbeninato: Thanks for years of quality E&P reporting RT @GregMitch You can keep following me here and at my blog…

5:40 p.m.:
@CraigCheslog: .@GregMitch So sorry to hear the news about Editor & Publisher. I hope a last-minute solution is found for E&P, you, and the staff there.

8:49 p.m.:
@louisbyrd3: @GregMitch I’m sorry to hear about E & P shutting down today, they could have at least waited until after the holidays.

9:22 p.m.:
@mediajunkie: @GregMitch sorry to hear the news. have loved E&P, especially in the past few years

Friday, 5:58 a.m.:
@boizebu: @GregMitch, I am just a foot soldier in the media wars, but without E&P, I am going to feel lost. @mediabistro just does not cut it.

But Editor and Publisher isn’t done yet. On Friday, its piece “When will a Web editor take charge of a major newspaper?” spread quickly on Twitter after this tweet from Greg Mitch.

@GregMitch: If you missed earlier today, major E&P piece: When will a Web editor take charge of major newspaper? http://bit.ly/65J9HX

The fact that so many first reactions were on Twitter and the news spread so quickly among journalism circles that E&P became a trending topic is telling. No longer is a development like this “hot off the presses,” but it’s hot off the Twitter stream. This news, of a journalism staple for more than 100 years, was shared and spread in the newest of ways.

Lists: The Latest Tool For Journalists On Twitter

Craig Kanalley — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:15:44 +0000

Twitter began rolling out its latest feature – “lists” – to select users this week, with plans to opening it up to everyone soon.

Earlier this month, journalism professor and mindcast-extraordinaire Jay Rosen had his followers scratching their heads when he made this prediction:

jayrosen_nyu You’ll find out yourself soon enough, but I’m telling you now. “Lists” are going to change Twitter http://jr.ly/4jm4 04 Oct 2009 from web

Shortly after, he followed up with this tweet:

jayrosen_nyu In reply to several of you, cannot say if it will be better or worse, but I can say: lists will change Twitter. In a sense, it’s up to us. 05 Oct 2009 from web

As one of the lucky “beta” testers of this new feature, and playing around with it for a few days, I can say with confidence that Rosen was absolutely right (as usual) in his prognosis. Lists are going to change Twitter – dramatically – and it is largely up to how we use them. For most of us, I say lists are “for the better.”

Here’s my initial impressions of Twitter lists, and why journalists should care about them, in just two days of trying them out:

Excellent for tracking news and breaking news feeds (this one I created includes 100 news feeds, screenshot below)
Efficient way to categorize sources/accounts by expertise or niche (@latimesnystrom does a good job of this, screenshot below)
Easy to set up and track several unique streams at once rather than just a single home stream
Allows for more opportunities of “discovery,” as well as networking and stumbling across interesting people
Ability to follow other lists (like the many offered by @Muckrack) helps find new Twitter users of interest to you
Creates an opportunity for newsrooms to create staff lists or useful local lists for readers/viewers to follow (see @PBS and @ColonelTribune)
One way for journalists to separate personal from professional interests on Twitter (lists can be set as public or private)

These are just a few observations but again Rosen was right on. This will change Twitter. And for journalists, lists will become just one more tool in the arsenal for tracking breaking news, collecting story tips, networking with others, and compiling useful information in an ever-cluttered 24/7 Twitter stream.

Screenshots:

Washington Post Institutes New Twitter Policy

Craig Kanalley — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:51:52 +0000

The Washington Post took swift action after controversial tweets from one of its managing editors Raju Narisetti disclosed opinions on healthcare reform and the hospitalization of Sen. Robert Byrd.

Not only has Narisetti since closed his Twitter account, but the Post on Friday implemented a series of new social networking guidelines. It says the guidelines had previously been in the works, but editors “decided to accelerate the completion of [them]” after the Narisetti incident.

While it has not released the guidelines to the public, some parts of it were shared on the blog of ombudsman Andrew Alexander.

A few highlights:

“nothing we do [on Twitter and Facebook] must call into question the impartiality of our news judgment.”
“Post journalists must refrain from writing, tweeting or posting anything – including photographs or video – that could be perceived as reflecting political racial, sexist, religious or other bias or favoritism that could be used to tarnish our journalistic credibility.”

The new guidelines, as shared, would seem to have an impact on some of the Post’s more creative and popular Twitterers like Howard Kurtz (@HowardKurtz) and Chris Cillizza (@TheFix).

Both immediately addressed the concerns.

HowardKurtz Under new WP guidelines on tweeting, I will now hold forth only on the weather and dessert recipes. 26 Sep 2009 from web

HowardKurtz Actually, I always assumed you shouldn’t tweet anything you wouldn’t say in print or on the air. Diff betw having thoughts and being biased. 26 Sep 2009 from web

HowardKurtz Apparently I just lost one follower who lacks confidence that I will be as charming and insightful as ever under new WP rules. Gimme a shot! 26 Sep 2009 from web

TheFix Also, lots of question about the Fix Twitter feed in light of new Post policy. This feed will KEEP ON ROCKING 27 Sep 2009 from web

— this quote was brought to you by quoteurl

Media analysts, journalism professors and professional journalists weighed in on the new guidelines, mostly criticizing them as a step backward for the Post.

jayrosen_nyu Something is seriously “off” at the Washington Post; I wish I knew more about the culture to know what it is. For now: “the print guys won.” 26 Sep 2009 from web

jeffjarvis Washington Post turns journalists into antisocial mannequins. So much for new connections to the community. 26 Sep 2009 from Tweetie

dankennedy_nu Hard to believe that WP was the leader in big-paper online innovation just a few years ago. 26 Sep 2009 from TweetDeck

mleewelch WP Tweet-ban worse than I thought: It’s to avoid letting people see what the newsvolk REALLY think. Transparency! http://tinyurl.com/yabrc3x 26 Sep 2009 from web

mathewi not sure what to say about the new WaPo social-media policy and the fact that an ME quit Twitter as a result: http://is.gd/3H1JM 26 Sep 2009 from TweetDeck

AlanMairson . @mathewi WaPo Twitter policy sounds like journo equiv of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Bizarre for people paid to ask & tell. 27 Sep 2009 from TweetDeck in reply to mathewi

jlittau You get on Twitter to show a human face, Washington Post. Dumb policy on the use of social media. http://is.gd/3HJiJ 27 Sep 2009 from web

— this quote was brought to you by quoteurl

The Many Ways Journalists Can Use Twitter

Craig Kanalley — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:23:13 +0000

Because of its simplicity, Twitter has great potential for many different uses and applications. With a little creativity, the possibilities are nearly endless.

A recent survey out of Norway sheds some light on that, showing that tweeting journalists use the service in multiple ways – at least in that country:

Research (30 percent)
Private use (29 percent)
Getting story ideas (23 percent)
Promotion and branding (17 percent)
Building network with other journalists (15 percent)
Get in contact with sources and do interviews (13 percent)
Get feedback from readers (12 percent)

This list is far from exhaustive. Twitter can also be used to actually cover events, live tweeting from them or documenting a question and answer.

There are many other possibilities as well for creative uses and team projects, such as shared accounts and reaching out to a designated target audience. Twitter can also be used as a publishing platform for headlines and breaking news.

In the end, it oftentimes depends on the individual journalist or organization and what they seek to accomplish. They may elect for a combination of the above, and that’s OK. The many uses help make the service special, and if you can think of a creative one, you’re likely to set yourself apart.

The New Twitter Homepage And Its Impact On Journalism

Craig Kanalley — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:29:23 +0000

Twitter debuted a new homepage today (July 28, 2009, remember that date in history), and it shows a fundamental shift from “what are you doing?” to a new emphasis on real-time search and information distribution.

The new Twitter motto is “Share and discover what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world.” Perhaps the ill-advised perceptions of the site as merely a lifecasting device will finally change.

Ben Parr of Mashable had this insightful analysis on the changes:

Twitter is in the process of changing directions, and this new homepage is the biggest step yet towards that transformation. Twitter was first conceived as a place to update your friends and interested parties on your life. It was focused on you.

Now Twitter has taken away that focus, and in its place, Twitter is focusing on the entire world. There’s not a single reference to you in Twitter’s new explanation. We think we understand why, because we hear this reason for not joining Twitter all the time:

“I just don’t have anything to say.”
“I don’t need to update people on my life.”
“It’s for people with followings and something to promote, not for me.”

Emphasizing that Twitter is the world’s platform for realtime information, for being connected to the entire world, is a savvy move on the part of Twitter. People who have something to promote are already on Twitter. Now the company has to convert the people who think Twitter’s just about telling people about what cereal you ate.

So will skeptical journalists who think no one cares about what they’re doing finally give the service a try? Because Twitter, at its best, isn’t that at all. And it’s an incredibly useful tool for any journalist to have in their arsenal.

Mainstream Media Losing Its Edge In Breaking News

Craig Kanalley — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:15:30 +0000

It doesn’t take much to see where news is breaking these days.

In the latest instances of a growing trend, a shooting in Washington, D.C. Wednesday, and explosions in Jakarta Friday were reported on Twitter by several accounts more than 15 minutes before traditional media reports.

Not only is mainstream media losing its edge, but the “breaking news” phenomenon in general is losing its value, according to Frédéric Filloux of Monday Note.

Filloux writes:

Therefore, the equation becomes clear-cut: either the Mainstream Media (MSM) recapture breaking news by twittering, or microblogging in some fashion, or the crowd will take care of business. Examples abound. As the internet pundit Clay Shirky recalls it in this TED presentation, the recent (last May) earthquake in China was widely reported by inhabitants using their cell phone for taking pictures, video and sending tweets. “The BBC got their first wind of the Chinese quake from Twitter, says Shirky. Twitter announced the quake several minutes before the US Geological Survey had anything online. The last time China had a quake, it took officials three months to admit it had happened”.

In other words, despite the immediacy of the 24/7 news cycle, traditional outlets are being trumped by a real-time Web — Twitter users reporting from the scene, Web sites that aren’t afraid to run on a single source, and blogs that may have questionable ethics yet break news anyway.

Exclusives are hard to come by, and when someone does break news, it’s usually seconds or minutes before the next outlet reports it (if Twitter hasn’t already). That means that MSM outlets are losing the edge on breaking news they’ve held for so long.

Without quick adaptation, they may lose viewers and readers altogether, who will go elsewhere for their breaking news fix. And that could be a problem.

LAT, NYT, CNN, AP All Live Tweet Sotomayor Hearings, But Who Was Best?

Craig Kanalley — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:08:31 +0000

The other day, I took a look at how the Associated Press used Twitter to cover the Sonia Sotomayor hearings.

It was a landmark experiment for that organization, and it seems the most extensive such project, fueled by a team of eight. But live tweets during the hearings weren’t limited to the AP.

Michael Muskal of the Los Angeles Times, Maria Newman and Kate Phillips of the New York Times, and Peter Hamby of CNN all fired away tweets of their own, each with their own style.

Muskal tweeted from his @latimesmuskal account and he wrote me via e-mail about the experience.

“We are trying to explore a way to do what journalism has always done best — explanation, context, voice and personality — in a new forum, Twitter,” he wrote. ”The idea is bring those building blocks of good journalism over to an interactive platform and see if we can tell the Sotomayor story in a different and interesting way while maintaining the usual standards of truth and quality.”

Asked how his style of tweeting differed from the AP’s, he responded, “We too are giving the news, but I think we are trying to be more analytical as well.”

For example, he noted he flagged issues that didn’t come up, pointed out the politics, and showed the irony in Leahy making jokes while Franken had to stick to serious “to establish senator-type creds.”

A glance at the New York Times @thecaucus feed, updated by Newman and Phillips according to a tweet from the Times’ Social Media Editor Jennifer Preston, showed another style of tweeting.

It was almost entirely composed of quotes or paraphrases of what people were saying inside the courtroom. In a sense it told a story and allowed the reader to follow along as if they were there. It also directed people back to The Caucus blog and New York Times Web site to read more and continue the conversation.

Finally, CNN’s Twitter feed @hambypCNN was a hybrid of live tweets, analysis, and interaction with users. Hamby also posted TwitPics and shared commentary throughout the hearings.

So who was the most successful? All of the feeds were valuable in their own way. But as one way to measure (though far from perfect), here’s how many followers each account gained over the span of the coverage (July 13-17), per TwitterCounter:

@AP_Courtside +1,865
@thecaucus +375
@hambypCNN +228
@latimesmuskal +111

The account that showed the most growth was in fact the AP — the one that relied on the audience to predominantly direct coverage and interacted the most. It’s difficult to put a value on tweets, but that in itself is telling of this new age.

AP Pulling Out All Stops For Dynamic Sotomayor News Coverage

Craig Kanalley — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:14:44 +0000

The Associated Press is trying something it’s never tried before with its coverage of the Sonia Sotomayor hearings.

It’s providing round-the-clock tweets at @AP_Courtside, documenting every move of the hearings, allowing the general public easy access to some of AP’s best talent, and using feedback to direct the coverage itself. And that’s not all.

The Twitter coverage is supplemented by a partnership with Yahoo News, where an extensive blog and collection of related articles is prominently featured on that Web site.

While the AP has embraced Twitter before, never before has it conducted anything of this magnitude in terms of crowdsourcing on a major story, says Gida Hammami of Editors Weblog.

I spoke with Ted Anthony, a national writer/editor for the AP and former foreign correspondent, who is supervising the ongoing Sotomayor Project.

What was the main idea behind it?

“We wanted to conduct an experiment and look at whether we could build community around news content,” he said. “It’s a short-term experiment, not a prototype or anything, but we also wanted to bring in our newspapers and increase discussion.”

Anthony said of Twitter, “It’s becoming a major force in the way people are communicating with each other.” He added that AP wanted to use it “not just because of its increasing relevance to the journalism world, but also the immediate flavor of it.”

A team of eight people is working together on the Sotomayor experiment, including seasoned political reporters, a social media expert, regional news director, and the Washington Bureau Chief himself.

“It’s true that the mainstream media and particularly AP don’t have a lot of experience dipping into the toes of readers, but we’re finding a pool of people who very much want to interact,” Anthony said.

He said not only are they collecting opinions about the story and the coverage itself, but the AP is interested in creating lively conversations between the public and journalists. It’s asked readers for the parts of the story they’re most interested in and tries at every opportunity to send reporters out to dig in.

Anthony said the group has already learned some interesting things.

“I am very delighted with the level of discourse,” he said. “Certainly, there’s skeptics and any experiment should have that, but people for the most part have been very engaging.”

“What’s becoming obvious is people very much want to have a stake in the news and how it’s covered,” he said.

For those critical of Twitter and its limitations, Anthony welcomed the criticism, but he also said he feels the negatives can be overcome:

“People may complain about these new technologies, and say it goes against depth, but we’ve proven with this experiment that if we have good reliable info, even in fragments, we assemble a picture at the end of the day that has relevance and context.”