We've always been told to avoid citing Wikipedia, because anyone can edit it (making it hard to credit), and the credible information on the page is generally from another source. Although these restrictions can be annoying, students still have no problem finding other sources, because we have the time to. However, due to the timely nature of news, getting a story minutes before others can make for a huge competitive advantage. On the other hand, it is important that all news sources be credible. In light of these two issues, Twitter can be a great way of getting the most recent news, but its credibility is questionable, as discussed in this article.
The instantaneous nature of Twitter could be great for getting a scoop before anyone else, or for getting politicians personal input on an event, but using false information can be devastating and costly for a news company. Unfortunately, the most potentially valuable tweets, containing information no one else has yet, are, by nature, the hardest to fact-check. Plus, many celebrities do not manage their own Twitter accounts. In a case like this, who should be credited in an article that uses information from the tweet? Additionally, if the information turns out to be false, who should be blamed? The celebrity? The celebrities designated tweeter? The news agency?
Because Twitter is relatively new, we still don't have answers to these questions, and therefore, using Twitter as a source is still a questionable move. Before Twitter can reach its full potential as a bite-sized news source, policies must be put into place. What policies do you think we need to make Twitter a credible, creditable news source?
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