With financial troubles growing deeper and more widespread in the media realm everyday, journalists and media moguls are trying to find new ways to appeal to the public eye.
One of the more recent beacons of hope comes in the form of Twitter. Since its humble beginnings, Twitter has grown from a quick messaging blurb tool for Bloggers to a headquarter for breaking news used by journalists from local news stations all the way to the big leagues. While Twitter can quickly relay information to the public, it can also disseminate information and cause occupational turmoil.
News Flash: The Media Uses Twitter Too
Twitter is not just a private social networking tool anymore. Much like Facebook, Twitter has grown from a small design idea that connects users in a community via cell phones into a worldwide Internet and mobile tool.
The media first began using Twitter shortly after it was born in 2006. Messages, or "tweets," are used by news outlets to highlight breaking news, inform people of weather and traffic alerts, connect with users for real-time news coverage, spotlight feature pieces and gather information for polls or questionnaires.
Twitter Troubles for Top Journalists
Watching what you post is important, especially if you are a well-known journalist. In July 2010, a senior editor for Cable News Network (CNN) published a twitter message on her account that CNN officials saw as questionable. The message, posted by Octavia Nasr, read, "Sad to hear of the passing of Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah. One of Hezbollah's giants I respect a lot. #Lebanon." Fadlallah was a Lebanese Grand Ayatollah Shi’ite cleric and early spiritual adviser of the Hezbollah Islamic group.
CNN informed Nasr that the message she posted may offend some people and did not meet the company’s editorial guidelines. The 20-year CNN veteran was let go from the news giant by Senior Vice President Parisa Khosravi. In a BBC interview, Nasr explained she was referring to Fadlallah’s views on women’s rights which she admired. She called the message "an error of judgement."
Instances such as Nasr’s may be few and far between, but errors are all too common with journalists on Twitter. Spelling errors and grammar misuse is top problems with many news media messages. This is primarily due to the fact that many of the posts are not submitted to editing, especially at smaller news outlets.
Dangers of the Twitter Horizon
Twitter poses a blind danger in that some of the messages composed may be unconfirmed reports or outright false rumors. In 2009, when pop music icon Michael Jackson died, Twitter was aflutter with dozens of messages from news sources proclaiming Jackson’s death before it was public. Numerous news outlets posted Twitter messages prior to their confirmation, an act that is frowned upon in journalism. Even though the news of Jackson’s death would soon be confirmed, many networks made this embarrassing mistake.
There is no doubt that news giants will continue to use Twitter to help spread their message and send rapid-fire updates. However, to remain professional, they must present accurate information rather than posting the quickest messages for bragging rights. More can be done with a story that has time invested in it rather then a quick blurb that is later found out to be a rumor. Journalists must understand the freshest news does not trump the most accurate reports.
References
The Guardian: Octavia Nasr Fired Over Tweet: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jul/08/octavia-nasr-cnn-tweet-fired
Think: Dangers of Twitter as a news source: http://think.gregorybowers.com/post/431956728/dangers-of-twitter-as-a-news-source
Corey Morris - Hello There! I'm a senior at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia and an avid reporter for the campus newspaper, The Rotunda. A ...
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