This is a really good post on how Twitter has changed how KXAN finds and delivers news.
Highlights of the blog post:
"Twitter helped us get the news to the masses in a new (and faster) way. The first indication that Twitter was an important part of our distribution of the news and how people are consuming media in different ways came in a very local way. The newsroom “tweeted” that a traffic jam on a local highway was the result of a car fire and in less than five minutes three people sent us photos of the car on fire. We then took that photo and placed it on our other platforms of media distribution (Televison/Internet) and it wasn’t until later that we realized the power of Twitter."
"Here’s what we did in the newsroom: We assigned people to post Twitter updates as soon as information was received. We searched out people on Twitter that were “Tweeting” from the area where the hurricane was to make landfall. We introduced ourselves and told them that we were going to follow them and tell the world what they were experiencing. In return, we promised to keep them informed when other forms of media failed. In other words, traditional media was asking the public to make our product better. They responded and did."
"The question for traditional media is how do we utilize tools such as Twitter to enhance and build our product? how do we embrace the “collective newsroom” and the changing ways in which people consume media? You can’t ignore it and hope it will go away, that barn door is opened and there is no going back. I, for one, am excited about how traditional media and social media are building bridges and responding to the changes in distribution channels. I don’t know what is next, but I know that people are engaged and they expect me to keep up."
