Rebecca Putterman, reporter at The Clayton News Star, asked me yesterday whether tweeting bits of reporting as you go along might take away from a story’s potential readership or whet appetites?
The flat answer is that while I’ve heard anecdotes I do not know, but I’m looking for an excuse to conduct some rigorous research into that question. In the meanwhile, here’s how I would think about whether to tweet or not. As in all things, professional judgment is required:
- Is the information of immediate use to the audience, especially their safety? (Being useful is not the same as being immediately interesting, although that can also be something to consider.)
- Is the tweet a discrete and complete piece of information? Tweets don’t have to tell both sides of the story, but they must be able to stand on their own without further context or explanation. They must have the relevant “who, what, when, where,” but probably not all of those. They almost never have “how” or “why”. (Although that’s just a guess. Another topic that is worthy of research.) Completed actions are probably the most likely pieces of information to be discrete and complete. And assertions by prominent people — “Newt Gingrich just said…” , for example — can certainly be tweeted in some cases, but they require more careful consideration:
- Avoid tweeting anonymous assertions.
- Is the assertion from the source about himself or herself? Or is about another person, or something the source purports to have seen?
- Is the assertion opinion or is it asserted as fact? Assertions of fact require special care.
- If a fact, how quickly are you likely to be able to confirm to the information with another independent source? Or, if an assertion, how quickly do you expect the other side to respond?
- How well do you know and trust the source? Have they been truthful in the past? Are they in a position to know?
- If the assertion turns out to be false, how much damage will be done to the audience? (Your reputation is always damaged if you report incorrect information.)
- What is the competitive environment? If you don’t tweet it, is your audience likely to hear the news from a friend or another professional reporter or from the source directly? If you do tweet it, will it tip off competitors or sources and give them the chance to tell the story in an way that may be incomplete or inaccurate before you can get around to writing your own comprehensive article?
When journalists do tweet discrete facts before a full story is fleshed out, they can sometimes do it in ways that add context and whet appetites:
- Add context — and raise readers’ awareness of missing context — by describing why the fact caught your eye, and what else you plan to report.
- Invite questions about “tidbits.” Twitter is better if it is a conversation and not a lecture. Questions from readers via Twitter before an article is complete can help make your story more relevant.
- If a topic has a particularly high level of reader engagement, post that you’ll be offline to write, edit and fact-check your complete story.
- Tell your followers when and where they can get the complete story: “Film at 11.” (And, of course, deliver on every promise you make.)
I had a friend in college whose father used to tell us: “Don’t tell me what you’re going to do. Tell me what you did.” I think that applies here. Of course, there are conversational benefits to Twitter engagement, but for reporters with big national followings, pre-tweeting stories is more likely to lead to dangerous half-tales.