You might not be a journalist, Niemanlab says, but you play one on Twitter. True enough. There’s a lots of journalism being reported there. And a fair amount being poorly reported, as critics like to point out. Others might note, in response, that there’s a great deal of things underreported elsewhere that get attention on Twitter.
I prefer Twitter as an aggregation tool. I’ve talked with disbelieving journalism professors and working journalists and television producers about the quality of Twitter — they’re all using the tool these days, by the way — about that. I learn a great deal from Twitter that I wouldn’t get elsewhere.
Just today for example, a friend in Montgomery pointed out this story:
Alabama lawmakers gave final approval today to a watered-down version of legislation aimed at getting more insurance coverage for autism treatment.
The House of Representatives voted 96-0 for the bill, sending it to the governor for his signature.
The legislation requires insurance companies to offer coverage for the treatment of autism, including for a costly behavioral therapy that now is rarely covered. Businesses could choose whether to offer the coverage as part of their insurance options for employees.
A friend in Atlanta passed along this terrific Der Spiegel feature on East Berlin, before and after the Iron Curtain was pulled down.
Found this on Twitter today too, from a colleague in Arizona. Media Storm, which is journalism juggernaut that doesn’t work as a traditional newsroom, won three awards from the National Press Photographers Association.
Also wouldn’t have found this unfortunate error from the Lufkin Daily News:
And finally, we roast ourselves for mistakenly running a previously published editorial about Pearl Harbor Day in this space in Tuesday’s newspaper. Dec. 7, 1941, is a day that President Franklin D. Roosevelt aptly called “A day of infamy.” While our mistake pales in comparison, May 1, 2012, will go down as a dark hour in this newsroom.
Not to be pedantic, but The Lufkin Daily News is playing a bit fast and loose with the quote, too. That Texas paper is putting a paywall on their website next month. We wish them well.
And, if you’re thinking “Someone that says “Not to be pedantic means to, in fact, be pedantic” you are absolutely correct.
Rain, on my drive home:
There’s nothing spectacular about that video, but I do enjoy the sound.
Two posts on my Crimson blog: Tips for new journalists and Yesterdays are dead.
Also, check out my Twitter feed. Bookmark the Tumblr account.
