Twittering China’s Earthquake

The importance of Twitter as a news-gathering and news reporting tool is being debated in the aftermath of the Chinese earthquake.

Journalists and new media experts are discussing the role of the micro-blogging platform during the recent catastrophe in Sichuan province and here’s a brief introduction to the main issues.

The big story floating around the mainstream media and blogosphere is the claim made by blogger Robert Scoble that news of the earthquake was broken in the US via Twitter before traditional news providers and the US Geological Survey reported it.

Scoble’s claims have prompted BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones to suggest that these events could have a dramatic effect on the success of Twitter in the future.

He notes on the dot.life blog: “Let’s see, as this story unfolds, whether this is the moment when Twitter comes of age as a platform which can bring faster coverage of a major news event than traditional media, while allowing participants and onlookers to share their experiences.”

Significant numbers of new media bloggers would no doubt agree with this sentiment, and several have pointed out its use during the event as an information source.

Writing on Poynter Online, China-based advisor and blogger Fons Tuinstra asserted that the micro-blogging platform quickly became an important resource.

“Twitter developed in just a few hours into an excellent information tool, combining different sources of information.

“I knew more about the earthquake than many people in China.”

And according to an AFP story, journalists working for mainstream media are reported to have used Twitter as a source of information in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake when putting together their own articles.

While non-profit news provider Global Voices Online embedded tweets posted by users from within China as part of its breaking news coverage.

And for those who want to know more, journalism lecturer Paul Bradshaw has provided a detailed round-up on his blog of how Twitter and its various applications were employed by users and reporters.