Twitter made it possible for the Austin-American Statesman, my friend Drew Carls (@drewcarls), news agencies and residents stay informed, safe and reassured that they were getting real-time, accurate reports on the events going on at the campus. Most of us had a real fear someone we know would be injured. Through Twitter, Carls was able to communicate to his friends, family and most importantly, the mainstream media what events were actually happening on campus according to him and colleagues.
I read a tweet from @statesman (who did an amazing job reporting story) around 8:30am describing a possible shooter on the UT campus with a promise of more information soon. Quickly I jumped on my computer to look at Twitter and get some real-time reports. I was reminded of the unfortunate plane crash/suicide earlier this year in Austin. The way law enforcement, media, university officials and citizens all used Twitter, Facebook, text messaging and mobile devices to communicate was much the same as that other tragic incident.
Below, I have embedded a rather long Keepstream Collection which I attempted to edit by removing repetitious tweets. If there are any omissions, repeated tweets or other errors, they are my own. Thanks to Jim England and Tim Gasper (Keepstream developers) for the beta key and opportunity to use the content curation tool to highlight yesterday's tragic event.
Rather than present my opinion on what I think technology means to news reporting and public safety, I'd like to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Thanks for the mention, Greg. I'm glad to hear that it was useful.
ReplyDeleteWhen things are transpiring as quick as they were, as tense as they were, it can create a tough situation to know when to share something & when you should wait. What impact does the information-sharing have on others? Would someone be put in a compromising position because of the information shared, regardless of accuracy? What were the differences between early reports (from a student-friend nearby) of people shot versus later reports of shots fired, no other injuries? That's a tough call in the social media space, as you're "micro blogging" as quickly as you can. Subsequently, I made a repost update with the newer, confirmed information. It all begs good questions that will, I suspect, linger for a while.
Drew,
ReplyDeleteI assumed you were considering which messages to post to Twitter and which to wait on as I followed your tweets. I am glad it was people like you the media chose to use as a source given how level-headed you were in such a stressful situation. I realize many have applauded your effort and you've been modest about it, but the service you provided to the University, students, parents, faculty and residents was invaluable as we all worried what would happen. Thank you for that.
Greg,
ReplyDeleteYou're right - Twitter is a fantastic tool during breaking news, for the media and the public. Not only is it a great way to report the news, it's invaluable for listening.
Amid the early chaos, there were some inaccurate reports floating around Twitter (understandable). To me, that just underscores the importance of journalists being in this space. They have the access to public officials and the habit of verifying information before sharing.
I hope that the Statesman's efforts helped people get a clearer picture of what was happening. There's no doubt that "listening" to the social sphere during the event helped us.
Rob Quigley
@statesman
Greg - I appreciate that. It certainly underscores the importance of journalists being in the space to listen, gather information from their sources and disseminate quickly, too, as Rob points out. I'm glad social media is here.
ReplyDeleteRob,
ReplyDeleteThe Statesman coverage was the first I followed, then Drew, then more local outlets. What I believe is most important is the EXAMPLE you have set for your peers in media. The way @statesman and the newspaper work together to bring the story home has impressed me.
Thanks for commenting. It means a lot to have you weigh in here.
I actually wasn't able to follow the events in real time. It's amazing to see it broken down this way. What a testament to the way we now receive and relay information. A great job was done by those you referenced.
ReplyDeleteI'm always apprehensive, however, about how quickly the public (myself included) requires information and how quickly the media et al rush to deliver it. The UT shooting seems a good example of reporting at its finest. But I remember my days in television news, rushing to tell the story before the other guys. That kind of competition fosters sloppy, inaccurate and sometimes dangerous reporting.
But to reiterate, The Statesman and Drew Carls did a tremendous job that day. Kudos to them for not losing sight of the service they were providing to concerned family and friends of those at UT.
Just because newsPAPERS are going away, doesn't mean we won't still news reporters. Only the medium has changed and hopefully for the better.
ReplyDeleteCourtney, Thanks for your comments. It means a lot coming from a media professional. Glad you're back in Austin. :)
ReplyDeleteSteve, thanks for weighing in. It was facinating to witness the coverage via Twitter.