NY Times retreats from the Twitter bubble

The NY Times has basically told its reporters to stop using and relying on so much. This is a welcome development and it would be great if NZ did the same here.

Here are some quotes from the NY Times Executive Editor:

  • We can rely too much on Twitter as a reporting or feedback tool — which is especially harmful to our journalism when our feeds become echo chambers. We can be overly focused on how Twitter will react to our work, to the detriment of our mission and independence. 
  • Maintaining a presence on Twitter and other media is now purely optional for Times journalists. In fact, after speaking to dozens of you, it is clear to us that there are many reasons you might want to step away, and we'll support anyone who decides to do so. If you do choose to stay on, we encourage you to meaningfully reduce how much time you're on the platform, tweeting or scrolling, in relation to other parts of your job.
  • We know that Twitter can be an important and useful reporting tool, especially for breaking news. You should use it as a source whenever appropriate, especially if Twitter a major role in your beat or the issues you're covering. But it should rarely, if ever, be your primary reporting focus.

All good . I despair when I see stories entirely based on the fact a couple of people on Twitter have criticised someone or something.

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