Tweets About a TV Show Lead to a Story
Brian Stelter, a media reporter for The New York Times, says he uses Twitter "primarily as an early warning system for breaking news, a platform for sharing the news, a database of sources for stories, and a forum for conversations with readers."
For instance, when Stelter recently noticed a lot of Twitter talk about the TV show "Jon & Kate Plus 8," he e-mailed his editor suggesting they do a story. The editor agreed.
"I asked readers for their opinions about the show," Stelter says. "While I didn't quote any of them directly, it subtly improved my reporting."
During the Beijing olympics, Stelter noticed several of his Twitter followers complaining that they could not watch the opening ceremonies live, because NBC had placed them on a twelve-hour delay until prime time in the U.S. Stelter asked his Twitter followers about the problem, and "soon I was receiving dozens of complaints about the NBC delay. Without Twitter, how could I have found these users, scattered across the country, watching illicit streams of the Olympics online?"
Stelter's article on the problem appeared on page one the next day. "After the story was completed, I thanked many of the commenters by name and posted a link to the story," he says.
Showing Followers a More Personal Side
When he's not working, DeRusha uses Twitter to share his life with his "followers." “I share personal Tweets - information about my kids, great restaurants I visit, fun events in town, silly things that happen in the newsroom. That breaks down the wall that journalists are these evil robots, and shows that we are regular people too,” he says.
DeRusha says he “loves the immediate, two-way interaction” Twitter offers with his viewers. He suggests that for journalism students, “Twitter is a great way to start a conversation with working journalists in town. Follow them, reply to their Tweets occasionally, and then send an e-mail trying to set up a meeting. It's a great networking opportunity.”
But Stelter sounds a cautionary note about how journalists use Twitter.
"Reporters definitely need to run their tweets through a personal filter," he says. "Users may disagree about whether to mix their personal and professional lives, for instance, or whether to share behind-the-scene stories. But whether personal or professional, they must remember that every tweet represents their news organization."
