How To Use Twitter For Breaking News

Poynter Online has published a column offering four ways for journalists to use Twitter as an information-gathering tool.

Writer Amy Gahran uses the example of a recent tornado in Colorado to show how the microblogging platform provides reporters with real-time details in the event of a breaking news story.

She says: “Twitter cannot and should not replace traditional reporting techniques, like calling sources and getting photographers on the scene.

“But this service has become extremely popular, which makes it a powerful resource for timely, diverse information.”

She adds: “Twitter’s popularity has reached the point that it can be a valuable early warning system to nearly anyone - including journalists and news orgs.”

Here are Gahran’s four top Twitter tips for newsrooms:


1 – Create Twitter Accounts

Have an official one for the news organisation itself as well as individual ones for journalists.

2 – Get Familiar

Reporters need to become active on Twitter before an emergency situation arises so they can become comfortable with the platform.

3 – Find Local Friends

Use TwitterLocal to find users in the area and then subscribe to the RSS feed to gain an overview of local talking points. The application can also be used to find people in the affected area of a breaking news story.

4 – Search For Breaking News

Use the TweetScan application which allows users to search for specific words. For example, Gahran searched for “tornado” to find relevant news.