Sylvester Gets Tweety In Court

A journalist has been granted permission to provide coverage of a federal court case via Twitter updates.

Ron Sylvester has previously Twittered a murder trial from a state courthouse, but this is the first time that he has been allowed to post Tweets from a federal courtroom, reports Editor & Publisher.

The Witchita Eagle journalist is reporting on the racketeering trial via his Twitter feed, and he has revealed that among his followers is the father of one of the defendants.

According to E&P, Sylvester’s tweets “have recounted testimony and offered some courtroom color”.

The Eagle’s executive editor has asserted that Sylvester’s use of Twitter as a court reporting tool has proved effective.

“He certainly has not sacrificed accuracy, quality and standards,” said Sherry Chisenhall.

She added: “There is an immediacy that has been great for our audience.”