Today’s tragedy at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington that left a heroic security guard dead and thousands of others emotionally injured highlights the power of Twitter.
Within seconds of when the shots were fired, news started trickling out about the chaos.
Twitter user and “America’s Most Wanted” correspondent Michelle_Sigona posted a message shortly after the shooting:
Other users shared their observations, like Katherine Mozzone of Washington, D.C., a NBC Newschannel receptionist:
She also posted a very telling tweet:
Given the social network’s ease of use and immediacy of posts, Twitter beat news organizations with the story and updates.
Producers and editors from some of the world’s largest and most influential news organizations utilized the service to share information.
A CNN assignment editor, for example, shared information on air and on Twitter:
And it was CNN’s director of coverage, Victor Hernandez, who sung the service’s praises most clearly:
Like other journalists, I disseminated information about the shooting from just minutes after news broke on it. You can check out my feed here.
Of course, Twitter is far from perfect. Like any other tool, users must weigh the credibility of the source. My advice is to follow reputable news organizations, like the Connecticut Post, CNN and the like, as well as members thereof.
The amount of news and information you get out of the service is up to you.
Happy tweeting!
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