Twitter curatorship tools will be a milestone for journalism
date
Nov 8, 2012
slug
2012-twitter-curatorship-tools-will-be-a-milestone-for-journalism
status
Published
tags
Twitter curatorship tools
milestone
journalism
curation tools
newsrooms
type
Post
ogImage
summary
Twitter's curation tools revolutionize journalism by enabling efficient information management and collaboration with the audience, while facing challenges of dependence and self-censorship.
About two months ago, Twitter's CEO, Dick Costolo, stated, among other things, that the company was developing new curation tools for use in newsrooms. Costolo and Twitter hinted that they should not solely rely on traditional advertising revenues, on which the market has immense expectations. Twitter is probably the most efficient way to collect large amounts of data organized in a manner that makes them viable for use. Information curation is a fundamental aspect of future journalism, and these tools have the potential to provide journalism with the tools it needs for restructuring.
Fact-checking will always be at the heart of any journalism, but this is a function that journalists no longer exclusively possess. It is necessary to accept collaborations to cover the number of places and events needed. The tweets of billions of people are part of this collection. Twitter's role as an enabler of ways to manage these information flows is crucial. Listen below to Costolo's speech at the Online News Association Conference and Awards (ONA12).
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/60702316" iframe="true" /]
The resistance of traditional media to adopt Twitter as a basic tool is a fear of dependence. But in reality, this dependence already exists, and fighting it will not help. Journalists need to present the information collected by the audience in various forms, and this possibility of new tools is extremely interesting. The only admonition Twitter has is about its own independence. The entry of Saudi capital into the company and the self-censorship attending third-party interests raise suspicions about Twitter's ability to remain an efficient data hub. The world needs Twitter as it was conceived and not just another company driven by shareholder interests. Otherwise, the doors will be open to other competitors.