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The dangers of Twitter journalism
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AP Photo/Keystone/Walter Bieri
Not only has Twitter been in the news, it's been making the news. And in many cases, Twitter has become the news.
On June 15th, Twitter announced that it would reschedule a planned upgrade because of "the role Twitter is currently playing as an important communication tool in Iran."
On June 20th, a young Iranian woman named Neda Agha-Soltan was killed as she protested the presidential elections. Her death was caught on a camera phone. Within minutes it was being passed around. Within 48 hours, thanks to the likes of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, she would become the face of the conflict in Iran.
It seemed the situation in Iran was the biggest topic on Twitter. That is, until June 25th, when Michael Jackson died.
I was on Twitter when the news broke. The first mention I saw came at 2:59 PM from Ryan Seacrest. He was restrained, saying only this: "Michael Jackson rushed to hospital. Very serious. I am racing to E! Studios. Be on air soon. Will update u.." His next tweet came at 3:08 PM, saying he heard from a source in the UCLA medical center that Jackson had died, but he was waiting for confirmation. Others weren't so cautious. By that time, TMZ had already pronounced him dead. This made the situation even more confusing. Would TMZ really have this info before CNN? Other media outlets were also reporting his death, although most qualified it as uncomfirmed. By 3:30 PM Pacific time, confirmation was in.
But that wasn't the end of it. In a week filled with celebrity deaths (Ed McMahon on June 23rd and Farrah Fawcett on the same day as Jackson) folks seemed sure that more deaths were imminent. Some even made up their own. There were so many reports that actor Jeff Goldblum had passed away that Kevin Spacey had to tweet a correction: "Jeff Goldblum is alive and well. I just spoke to his manager. Stop these stupid rumors."
And that, my friend, is the problem with this new phenomenon... Twitter Journalism. Tweets are, for the most part, anonymous. When people begin to report on a situation, giving inside information, who is verifying it? The tragic death of Neda Agha-Soltan is true, and thanks to Twitter and other social networks, the world is watching. As a writer, it troubles me to see news sources reporting Twitter news before it has been authenticated. In our world of 24-hour information, having the freshest news seems like it's becoming more important than having the most accurate news.
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