A few weeks ago, I told Jens and Heather that I didn’t want them to write any more posts about Twitter (“its been done to death”) so I’m breaking my own rule here.

Over the weekend, I started thinking about how Twitter is becoming a primary way for people to get their information. Then I started wondering why we aren’t seeing any journalists covering stories exclusively on Twitter. I imagine it would work much the same way that we sometimes see television or radio journalists covering breaking stories: they stay on the scene, and provide constant updates whenever they get additional information. Much of their reporting is observational, but other information comes in by way of eyewitnesses and official reports.

It looks like  Mark MacKinnon had the same idea – he’s been Tweeting live from Bangkok as the city “disintegrates.”

Since he works for Canada’s Globe & Mail newspaper, I doubt that Twitter will be the sole way that he’ll report his story. However, I’m sure that people who have been following his updates on Twitter will most certainly read any in-depth story he writes about the situation for the Globe & Mail. The text of some of his tweets will also probably make it into any final copy he writes, and I’m sure that he’ll be aided by other Twitter users on the ground providing him with additional information.

In all, it sounds like a win-win situation.

Are there any other examples of journalists using Twitter as their primary way to report on one story?

-Parker

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