Journalists take to the Twitterverse
“IT’S Tuesday and I’m at a forum on the topic “Twitter’s Impact on Media and Journalism”, busily taking down the speeches in shorthand. As I do, the business-suited woman sitting on my left is tweeting about me on her laptop” – what a great opening line from journalist, Sally Jackson of The Australian.
Today, on the front page of the Media section of The Australian, Sally has written a fabulous article about how Journalists are taking to the Twitterverse. Sally was at our event, Twitters Impact on Media and Journalism last Tuesday and echo’s a lot of what was discussed at the event. What I found so interesting was the fact that Sally used Twitter to to get caught up on what happened after the event took place, by having a look at the Twitter Hash Tag (#TIMJ). Straight away, she is an example of how Twitter can not only be a great source of immediate information, but also for archived information.
Being a child of the 80′s, I was keen to see if I could find any new knowledge in the archive from the Twitter stream, #MichaelJackson. As you can probably imagine, I did find something new and am now starting to think that Twitter may have a place in the archived media landscape. I wonder if the media outlets are using Twitter in this way? And how will this impact the future of tweets?
In the article Sally also quotes local media personality Mia Freedman as saying, “It’s a time sucker. It’s addictive. You can ride Twitter all day.” She’s right. If you’re not focused, Twitter can take away precious time that should be better spent working. Hmmm… I think I better leave my curiosity of Michael Jacksons death to the main stream media, get this post up and get back to work.
Craig Davis confirmed to speak: Creating Value With Content
Craig Davis, Co-Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Mojo
It was announced today that Craig Davis has been appointed Co-Chairman and Chief Creative Officer for Publicis Mojo. In pulling together our August event, Creating Value With Content: Strategies for Marketing & Advertising, taking place 18 August from 2pm – 6:30pm at the Radisson in Sydney, I spoke to Craig and gained a unique insight into how content is changing from this world renowned Creative executive.
In the coming weeks I will post further insights from our discussion but until then, we are proud to include Craig as part of our unique upcoming half day event.
How Twitter impacts media and journalism: Five Fundamental Factors
One of the most interesting issues regarding Twitter is its impact on the media and journalism. The Insight Exchange is running a lunch event Twitter’s Impact on Media & Journalism in Sydney on 23 June which promises to be extremely interesting, with insights from among others Mark Pesce, Renai Lemay, Paul Colgan and Corrie McLeod (click on the names to see pre-event interviews of the speakers by Beth Etling) as well as in-depth discussion by all participants.
Below are some of my thoughts on the topic. As an introduction, in the ABC TV segment below Mark Scott, Managing Director of ABC and myself are interviewed about the role of Twitter in media. Mark emphasizes that people want a trusted source for their news, whereas I point to the value of Twitter in breaking news. At the time I wrote more about these different viewpoints on Twitter and media, noting that Scott’s stance “just takes us back to the traditional view that news is only news once a journalist has reported it.”
I see Five Fundamental Factors on how Twitter impacts media and journalism:
1. Twitter’s role in breaking news
In my book Living Networks, released in 2002, I wrote:
The brilliant visionary Marshall McLuhan accurately described the media as an extension of our senses. Your eyes can see what’s happening in your immediate vicinity, your ears can hear what people are saying in the same room as you, but with television and radio as an adjunct to your senses, you can see and hear anywhere around the world. All of the cameras and microphones of the world’s media are an extension of your eyes and ears, and journalists are your personal emissaries to report on their findings and impressions.
Now connectivity is extending your senses to all the connected people on their planet. Media is becoming a participatory sport. You can tap into what any of a vast army of people are seeing and thinking, or contribute yourself to the global flow. This certainly doesn’t mean the end of mass media. Most people will always choose to access a common frame on the world, that gives views of politics, society, and entertainment that provide a basis for interaction and discussion. However the new world of media is at the heart of how the networks are coming to life.
[From Chapter 1 of Living Networks]
This is exactly what is happening today. Twitter is extending our collective senses to tens of millions of people around the world who can all report on whatever they are seeing, making that available to anyone on the planet.
This has been evident in many news events around the world, including the Mumbai terrorist attacks, the plane landing in the Hudson, and most recently the unrest following the Iranian elections. There is no question that we have far richer and more timely information on major and minor events around the world as they happen.
2. The accuracy and verification of news on Twitter
I don’t think anyone thinks that everything on Twitter is the gospel truth. Often information is inaccurate, through misinterpretation or sometimes deliberately. However the vast majority of people are able to make a judgment on the likely accuracy of news – be it on CNN or Twitter – and to take it in the context of other news sources.
First hand reports may need confirmation, but they provide early information which can later be corroborated or complemented by other sources. This is the role of professional journalists and established media, which have the resources, training, and expertise to check information and pull together a balanced view of the story. Twitter absolutely does not obviate the need for professional media – it complements it by providing first-hand reporting from a vast army of people on the ground, which is then filtered and integrated into mainstream reporting. This rigorous next phase of media creation and dissemination is necessary and desirable.
There will be some people who are happy to wait until the mainstream media process the news and release it on the regularly scheduled TV news program or in the newspaper. However these days most people prefer their news fresh.
3. The pressure for faster news and media
There is no question that the quickening pace of communication over the last years, including the rise of Twitter, has heightened our expectation of the timeliness of news. Moreover, I believe that humans’ appetite for news and information is effectively insatiable, so we are never going to get to the point at which news is sufficiently fast and deep.
Since bloggers started to compete with mainstream media for breaking news, the pressure has ramped up on being the first to post. Whoever gets in first with news usually gets the bulk of attention and traffic. With Twitter added to the fray, the competition is even more intense.
The inevitable result, bemoaned by many traditional journalists, is that being correct is subjugated to being first. Attitudes are increasingly that it’s better to be first out and have to correct than to delay too long.
4. Editorial policies and reputation for accuracy
The balance between timeliness and accuracy is ultimately an editorial decision. To what degree are you willing to jeopardize your reputation for accuracy to be first out with the news? Over time different media (mainstream and long-tail) will make and implement their choices, establishing an effective hierarchy of reputation for news accuracy. As such, news that comes from the most trusted sources will be considered to be correct and not need further verification. Other news sources will more often be first out with the news, but the audience will understand that this is not 100% credible. We will all make our choices as to which array of faster or more accurate news sources we will use.
5. The symbiosis of mainstream media and Twitter
I have written numerous times about the symbiosis of mainstream media and social media– each feeds on the other. I also used this metaphor as a central element of my Future of Media Strategic Framework below.
This is and should be exactly the relationship between mainstream media and Twitter. Absolutely, Twitter largely feeds off established media channels. In fact it is rapidly becoming one of the most important ways for people to assess which mainstream media stories they choose to read. Twitterers select what’s most interesting, and then often comment on it, creating real-time conversations out of a static media piece.
However mainstream media is feeding off Twitter too. As Twitter grows its user base it is becoming not just a source of breaking news, but also a deep and broad indicator of sentiment and social change. News stories are not all about cataclysmic events, but also about how we are changing as a society. Journalists who do not look to Twitter as an early indicator or potential source of stories are missing a great opportunity to tap the zeitgeist.
Recommended reading on Twitter’s impact on media and journalism
There is much more to say about Twitter’s impact on media and journalism, so I’ll try to write more about this topic later. For now I’ll close with some recommended reading on what is an extremely important topic for society.
Robert Scoble: The day Twitter kicked CNN’s behind & @ev bought me a whisky
Robert Niles/ Online Journalism Review: So why aren’t you Twittering yet?
Jay Rosen: Help Me Explain Twitter to Eggheads(read the comments)
Mashable: The Journalist’s Guide to Twitter
Rory O’Connor/ Biz Stone: Twitter Journalism
Mathew Ingram: Yes, Twitter is a source of journalism
David Schlesinger: Twittering away standards or tweeting the future of journalism?
Jeff Jarvis: Product v. process journalism: The myth of perfection v. beta culture
Twitter’s Impacting Everything! My chat with Renai LeMay.
Renai Lemay, News Editor ZDNet Australia, CBS Interactive
Renai LeMay, News Editor of ZDNet Australia, (@renailemay), spoke with me last week on his insights of how Twitter is impacting the media and journalism landscape and I have to say, it’s going to stir up some great conversation at our event on 23 June 2009.
When I asked him to give me his point of view, we had to take a step back and look at the role of journalism and how it’s changed to fully understand Twitters impact. “A journalist”, according to Renai, “is any broadcaster of content”, so Twitter, which is a broadcast tool, is a platform that journo’s can’t exclude or ignore. Immediately I thought, you bet, Twitter IS the death of the journalist since everyone now has the power to broadcast, but then we dug deeper to understand how the PLATFORM of Twitter is changing the methods and mechanics of journalism and how it’s not only helping the media industry but how it’s enhancing the industry all together. Renai will discuss this in more detail at the event.
Like Mark Pesce, Renai used the term hyper-local journalism as the next phase of content delivery and emphasises that unique content is more valuable to individuals. Because of Twitter, journalists can focus on local content, target specific and niche readerships, and interact with readers on issues that they consider important. Ultimately isn’t that what social media is all about? Building that relationship?
As I finished my conversation with Renai, I realised that his position on Twitter is that “Twitter IS the next big thing” and that all media and journalism executives need to embrace the platform to continue to evolve the overall industry. Join us on 23 June for the luncheon session, Twitters Impact on Media & Journalism, and hear Renai explain why he considers Twitter a “playground of pleasure”!
An insightful chat, I think, with Mark Pesce on Twitter
Mark Pesce, Inventor, Writer, Educator, & Futurist
I’m not sure if I have a better understanding of how Twitter is impacting the media and journalism landscape or if I just have more questions! My chat with Mark Pesce earlier this week, was not only fun and insightful but thought provoking. There are a lot of topics we could cover in our 2 hour luncheon session on Mark’s ideas, opinions and thoughts, but since he only has 8 – 10 minutes to give us a high level view of the impact of Twitter, it will be interesting to see what our audience discussion brings about based on his presentation.
During our discussion, Mark outlined a number of different view points in which Twitter is “challenging” media and journalism. He, like many of us, doesn’t believe Twitter is the death of journalism, but he does believe that it is the death of the wire services, which then begs the question, what replaces it? Will there be such a thing as a Twitter News Service? Or will journalism move towards “hyper-locality” in which the information news wires used to provide is no longer nearly as important as what’s happening in our own neighborhood? And then who’s role will it be to provide and offer national news? Perhaps our own communities will naturally build that in to their communication.
With my brain frazzled of all the ideas of what’s to come from the news wires, the newspapers, and the shift in content consumption, I decided to move our conversation to other forms of media. What about television and radio, how is Twitter going to impact these mediums?
If you’re not aware, Mark is on a panel of judges for the show, The New Inventors on the ABC, so when I asked him this question, he knew exactly what I was getting at and explained how the show was the first ever (we believe in Australia) to have him Tweeting during a broadcast; responding and interacting with the viewers. He then explained how radio is embracing Twitter by broadcasting and reporting “emergencies” – such as the Victorian Bush Fires – during a live radio show. Both of these examples show that Twitter is not just another media outlet or tool for journalists, but it is now, becoming a way for consumers to interact with the mediums, creating a live experience with something that used to be static. It’s truly giving a voice to the people and the media industry should embrace this.
Whether you agree with Mark or not, is not the question, but you must come and hear his thoughts on where Twitter is heading as he believes “Twitter isn’t done yet. We’re all just beginning to understand how to use it and eventually we’ll see how it will impact our consumption of media in general.”
I look forward to hearing your thoughts, ideas, and insights on Twitters Impact on Media & Journalism, at our luncheon event on 23 June 2009.
Chat with Corrie McLeod
Corrie McLeod, Founder & Managing Director, Espresso Communications
Corrie McLeod, Founder and Managing Director of the PR Company, Espresso Communications, rang me last week to talk about the luncheon session, “Twitters Impact on Media & Journalism“, taking place 23 June 2009. She brought to my attention the fact that Twitter is not only impacting the journalism industry, from a reporting and consumer consumption point of view, but it’s also affecting those players who associate and do business with journalism and media executives. I found this point of view so interesting and important that it needed to be included in this discussion and as part of the event.
Corrie pointed out that, “Twitter has changed the dialog between PR executives and journalists. We are now able to request information, create a more efficient workflow and link the journalists directly to our clients through Twitter.” These changes are small to some, but they are outlining a new way of communicating that is more efficient, effective and valuable between two deadline driven industries. Corrie will dive into more depth about the affect Twitter is having from her perspective and how this new medium can ultimately create valuable exchange amongst communication professionals.
I believe that by including the PR perspective, we’ll be able to really gain insight into Twitters impact on the Media and Journalism landscape. If you have insights, ideas, or opinions regarding the PR side of the Twitter puzzle, pleaes send me an email and I’ll make sure it’s covered during our interactive attendee discussion.
I’ll be chatting with another one of our speakers, Mark Pesce, later this week, giving you some further insight into his point of view. Check back later this week!
Conversation with Paul Colgan on Twitter and Journalism
Paul Colgan, Managing Editor, The Punch
Today, I had the pleasure of spending some time on the phone with Paul Colgan, Managing Editor of the newly launched The Punch and presenter at our upcoming luncheon on 23 June 2009. This experienced media executive gave me an interesting perspective on how Twitter is impacting journalism and the media but more importantly he stressed how we should look at Twitter in a larger progression of distribution methods and technologies.
Paul explained that Twitter is just the latest in a series of distribution models and should be considered as part of the suite that journo’s use to deliver and communicate the news. “It’s part of the mix. The bigger question”, he explained, ” is what’s next? And how do we, as media professionals, stay ahead of the curve? Consumers will always be the first to adopt a new technology, so it’s up to us to stay current and the only way we can do that, is by embracing the landscape and understanding that Twitter is just a piece of the progression.”
My conversation with Paul was exciting and rich with ideas, thoughts and insights. We touched on topics such as technology fads, the changing role of content, and looked at where we’ve come from and where we’re heading. He will share those insights with us on 23 June, from 12pm – 2pm, at the lunch event, Twitter’s Impact on Media & Journalism. As Paul says, “Twitter is a happy place” so join us as we discuss how this exciting model plays a role in todays media landscape.
