Esther Enkin has an interesting story to tell about handling the Edmonton hostage taking. It seems like some overzealous CBC tweeter wrote that the CBC was in contact with hostages. As Esther says: we don’t tweet what doesn’t go on air.
I wonder who it was who tweeted it? I guess it could have been anyone.
The temptation for journalists to overshare is immense, what with the Tweetdeck in front of you and everything going down in a city far far away, yet seemingly so close, and so fast. They call it “real time.â€
Twitter rewards those who are echoed, copied, and retweeted with fame, peer approval, and a cold kind of love. Who wouldn’t want some of that sweet action?
But the fuse on this is very short, and getting shorter all the time. If journalists want to be trusted, they’re going to have to learn how to keep their integrity – and their cool.
In real time. Before it’s too late.
