This document discusses how journalists can use Twitter to help with their work. It provides examples of how Twitter can help journalists locate eyewitnesses during breaking news, connect with sources and other journalists, and monitor community discussions. The document also suggests how copy editors can use Twitter to crowdsource headlines, provide feedback on news judgment, and find story ideas. Finally, it recommends several copy editors to follow on Twitter and provides examples of how Twitter has proven valuable during past breaking news events.

1. Why Journalists Shouldn’t Snicker About Twitter @stevebuttry Gazette Communications Maynard Institute Multimedia Editing Program June 23, 2009 steve.buttry@gazcomm.com

2. How Twitter helps journalists Quickly locate eyewitnesses & participants in breaking news Connect with sources, journalists Monitor community discussion Promote content Write tight (no lead longer than a tweet)

3. Uses for copy editors Crowdsource headlines (tweets are kind of like heads) Feedback on news judgment Breakouts for stories Proclaim authorship Edit tight (no lead longer than a tweet)

4. Copy editors to follow @johnemcintyre @TheSlot, Washington Post @pasadeirdre, LA Times @vtuss, Star Tribune @dvdlee, The Gazette

5. Twitter’s value in breaking newsnot happening in Iran, Mumbai DC Metro crash yesterday @jkrums on Hudson emergency landing @2drinksbehind on Denver plane crash Fargo flooding @MissRFTC on California earthquake

19. Wrapping up These slides at slideshare.net/stevebuttry Follow me on Twitter: @stevebuttry Read “Leading Your Staff into the Twitterverse” and other posts about Twitter use by journos on my blog: stevebuttry.wordpress.com Email me for links: stevebuttry@gazcomm.com