Double-checking Twitter and journalism more generally

A couple of weeks back, I picked up that Krishnan Guru-Murthy had said during an interview that Twitter is not checked at Channel 4.

A couple of things by way of follow up.

First, I said I'd be surprised if any of the BBC's Twitter feeds are checked either. So I was surprised when I discovered that the BBC's Global News feed does actually pass through an editorial process whereby someone double-checks a tweet before it is published.

Although the way this feed is being used does mean double-checking is feasible - it's not being used as a conversational tool in the manner of Rory Cellan-Jones's feed for example. Rather, as a way of promoting interesting BBC material on foreign affairs.

Second, I've been meaning to pull Charlie Beckett's contribution on this out from the comments section of this blog. So here it is:

Charlie Beckett said...

"....It looks weird at first glance but in television especially, there are a thousand things that a journalist will do when making TV news that aren't double-checked. Did you source the pictures? did you double check the stats? when you wrote the caption did you double check the name spelling?
On 24 hour news we have got used to journalists saying that 'we have breaking news - this is all we know - we will try to confirm it and get back to you with the full facts.' as long as are transparent on Twitter and don't make the claim that it can do as much as other more spacious media platforms, than it will be fine. Krishnan is a great example of someone who knows how to use it and to make the most of what it does."

I think this raises an interesting point about the extent of continuity or change in so-called 'new' media platforms. It's all too easy to get sucked into the hurly-burly of the newness of media technology, when a short step back away from it all will quickly reveal some age-old editorial concerns.

Charlie's comment also begs these questions (at least in my mind) - what do journalists' double-check and why. What doesn't get checked and why? Does the checking process make any sense?

(After the recent Ross/Brand debacle, checking at the BBC appears to be tighter than the lid of a never-previously-opened jam jar. So much so that yesterday, the BBC's (soon-to-be) former blogger-in-residence, Steve Bowbrick, described "catastrophic levels of caution" at the Corporation.)

Krishnan Guru-Murthy: Twittering is not checked by editors at Channel 4

In an interview with Journalism.co.uk conducted on Twitter, Channel 4 News presenter, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, admitted the microblogging tool is not checked by editors:

"@journalism_live and twitter is not overseen by an editor - so there are potential problems. blogs are checked before publication #ch4"

I can't believe all the BBC's twitterers are double-checked either. Clearly no one ran a 'second pair of eyes' over this recent effort from Peter Horrocks.

But imagine the volume of new editorial work that would be created if everything had to be placed under the nose of an editor. And it's hardly worth mentioning the obvious fact that such procedures would render using Twitter in any meaningful way virtually impossible.

I think journalists are just going to have to take individual responsibility.

As Guru-Murthy had said earlier in the interview: "I can't see any real problems, as long as you apply all your normal standards and rules".

All very well in theory, in practice it might not be so straightforward. Twitter is a fast-paced conversational tool; making a serious mistake is far from inconceivable.

When asked if he would be interested in writing a blog Guru-Murthy said: "not right now. I think i'm better suited to twitter! a blog is hard work - and i write a daily email when on #ch4"

'Terror Blog Live': Blogging the debate on 42 days

Channel 4 News is live blogging the House of Commons debate and the vote on whether to extend the terror detention limit to 42 days. You can follow it here. The debate began at 3pm, the vote's at 6pm and the result is due around 7pm.

Channel 4 are using CoverItLive, a piece of software which allows you to do exactly what it says on the virtual tin, (though when I tried it a few months back it crashed my laptop and everything was a little less than live...but given that Channel 4 will be able to factor out my laptop I'm sure they won't have these problems).

And after you've had your fill of that live debate you can watch another one. The Frontline Club will be asking whether the Taliban are winning in Afghanistan from 7.30pm.