The Public Editor column in the New York Times shines a light on how the paper covers news and seeks to help readers better understand the reasoning behind their stories and editing decisions.
This week, Public Editor Arthur Brisbane covered how some of the New York Times reporters use Twitter.
I found it to be ironic because, while reporters sometimes look down on PR (I am not saying the ones listed below do, I am speaking in general terms), their use of Twitter reminds us that they are not above a little self promotion and personal brand building. Also, the article left me more convinced than ever that PR people who are not on Twitter are missing out in a major way, as Twitter is like a "cocktail party" between journalists and readers (to use the words in the title of the article).
Here is an excerpt:
...some Times writers and editors have become prolific at it, sending out thousands of tweets to thousands and, in some cases, hundreds of thousands of followers. For them, the online service, which allows you to transmit 140-character messages and links, has emerged as a vast medium of information exchange…By selecting a universe of tweeters to follow, they can track news sources of all kinds, including rival journalists. They can create listening posts across every topic they need to monitor.
Here are some of the takeaways (words in italics are excerpts):
Twitter helps journalists track news sources of all kinds
David Carr, media columnist for The Times… said Twitter frequently puts him ahead of the news curve: “Twitter is my default news feed.”
Twitter helps them sift through information
Patrick LaForge said that:
Other Twitter users “curate” the Web for him...“which means they find, analyze and comment on useful links that interest me far more quickly than I could ever do for myself…" Mr. Carr said, “you can see what is getting heat and what is not.”
It Helps them Research Stories and Float Ideas
[Nicholas Kristof] said, he is planning a possible trip to Mauritania and has used Twitter to query his million-man follower group in search of expertise on the country — with good results… He has used it also for something that blogs and columns just aren’t appropriate for, he said: publishing a hunch.
Twitter helps reporters build their personal brands
Twitter also enables writers to super-publish their work… effectively pushing a cloud of links far beyond the reach of The Times’s Web site and print edition…. Down this path Times journalists go, not surprisingly, in search of a greater following. “Twitter does turn us all into marketers,” said Brian Stelter, who covers media issues.
