This document provides tips for engaging in breaking news coverage on social media. It recommends reporting the unfolding story on social platforms, crowdsourcing information from the public, searching for eyewitnesses and community content, and curating the community's story. It also provides advice on verifying information from social sources, addressing rumors, and being transparent about what is not yet known. The goal is to effectively report developing stories while connecting with sources on social media.

1. Engaging in
Breaking
News Coverage
Steve Buttry
Bay Area News Group
Sept. 19, 2012
#twutorial

2. Read more about it
• stevebuttry.wordpress.com
• slideshare.net/stevebuttry
• @stevebuttry
• stephenbuttry@gmail.com
• zombiejournalism.com

3. Ways to engage
• Report the unfolding story on social
media
• Crowdsource: Ask what people saw,
heard, experienced, shot
• Search for eyewitnesses
• Find community content
• Curate the community’s story

5. • Watch for videos getting attention (will
often see links, mentions on Twitter,
Facebook)
• Search keywords on YouTube
• Embed in stories, blogs

6. • Interview by video Hangout, stream live on
YouTube (embed in story or blog post)
• Find sources on breaking news stories
(Trentonian used to ID homicide victim)
• Posting story boosts search results

7. • Search keywords
• Connect for interviews (&
more photos)
• Ask permission to use
• Ask about altering of
photo, filters used

10. • “Mayor” may be source about a business
or venue (employee or customer)
• See who has checked in at venue of
breaking news story
• Did anyone report something on a tip?
• Break story w/ Foursquare “shout”

11. Other location tools
• Banjo
• Geofeedia
• GatheringPoint

12. • Effective curation of Sikh temple
shooting
• Obama answered questions
• Search at searchreddit.com

14. • Lots of people belong
• Search by keywords to identify potential
sources
• Can send brief message asking for
interview or confirmation

15. • Best place to look for people in breaking
news stories (can send a message)
• Much content is private
• Crowdsourcing (ask on their pages as
well as yours)
• Ask for permission to use photos

16. Searching Facebook:
• Use advanced search (click in empty
search window, hit enter)
• Click people, pages to narrow by
location, biz pages, etc.
• Search Google: “site:Facebook.com” then
search term (show search tools)
Tips from Jason McDonald, JM Internet Group

17. Before the big story breaks
• Follow lots of local people (location
search, replies, retweets, check
followers)
• Join local conversation
• Master Twitter search (advanced)
• Promote local #hashtag taxonomy
(#okstorm, #tcunews)
• Use Twitter routinely on your beat

18. Before the big story breaks
• Build local following
• Join local conversation
• Master Twitter search (advanced)
• Promote local #hashtag taxonomy
(#okstorm)
• Use Twitter routinely on your beat

19. When the big story breaks
• Twitter Search • Converse
(advanced) • Answer questions
• Connect w/ witnesses • Thank contributors
• Crowdsource • Promote fresh content
• Tweet early & often • Link to new reports
• Seek verification (even competitors’)
• Address rumors (say • Be human (fun where
what you don’t know) appropriate)
• Seek photos

27. Crowdsource

28. Crowdsource

29. Say what you don’t know

30. Storytelling tweets

31. Key facts

32. Unfolding story

33. Tweet photos

34. Vetting tweeps, verifying info
• Check full Twitter stream, profile
• Connect on phone, in person
• Check location (not 100% reliable)
• Others verifying? Clusters, not echos
• Photos?
• Other sources, other tweeps
• Ask, “How do you know that?”

35. More on verification
Craig Silverman tips:
http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/eight_sim
ple_rules_for_doing_a.php
Mandy Jenkins tips:
http://zombiejournalism.com/2011/09/b-s-
detection-for-journalists/

36. NPR’s Andy Carvin
“I think curation has always been a
part of journalism; we just didn't call it
that.” – quoted in The Atlantic by
Phoebe Connelly

37. What is curation?
Museum curator: Journalism curator:
• Studies topic • Studies topic
• Chooses relevant • Chooses relevant
content (other content (social
sources & museum media, blogs, staff)
collection) • Authenticates
• Authenticates • Groups related items
• Groups related items • Provides context
• Provides context • Presents collected
• Presents exhibit content

38. Follow up
• stevebuttry.wordpress.com
• slideshare.net/stevebuttry
• sbuttry@journalregister.com
• @stevebuttry
• zombiejournalism.com