Canadian media say Twitter coverage of Moncton shooting is more dangerous than TV broadcasts
By Stephen Pate – Canadians watched the impact of social media, mainly Twitter, to instantaneously cover breaking news in the Moncton shooting.
Since the 7:30 PM June 4th shooting of 5 Moncton RCMP officers, resulting in three deaths, Twitter has been the go-to place for the latest news.
At midnight last night, it was a Twitter post that reported the captured of the alleged shooter.
michelle thibodeau@YourMichelle ·
He was in my backyard. I saw him arrested in front of my eyes. He is alive. Thank you#RCMPNB.
See – SINGER TWEETS CAPTURE OF MONCTON SHOOTER
The media had already signed off the story around 10 pm Thursday night. After 1:00 AM Friday morning, they were awake calling Tweeter Michelle Thibodeau to get an interview.
Twitter dangerous?
CTV News and its regional affiliate ATV portrayed Twitter as a dangerous source of mis-information that could help the killer. Those stories are wrong, a hopeless attempt to discredit social media.
We are used to Twitter being at the center of the news. In 2009 Iranian Citizen journalists reported post-election atrocities including the murder or Neda Soltan. That story was first carried on LiveLeak, Twitter, then bloggers and YouTube before the BBC, CBC and US networks covered it.
The 2010 G20 protest and police violence in Toronto were covered minute by minute on Twitter then broadcast after a delay by the CBC and CTV.
Twitter always ahead on Moncton Shooter
Three sightings of the alleged killer Jason Bourque were reported Thursday morning on Twitter before CTV, ATV or CBC reported them. Throughout Thursday CBC and CTV broadcast talking heads without any real information.
Twitter had real stories about Jason Bourque’s background and friends. It also reported police stakeouts.
The US publication Business Insider published Ex-Coworker Says Suspected Cop-Killer ‘Wanted To Go Out With A Bang’ at 1:30 AM Thursday morning.
“I never took him seriously, but he always said he wanted to go out with a bang and bring people with him,” recalls Caitlin Isaac, who worked with Bourque at Walmart several years ago, until he was fired. He wanted to “give people something to remember him for.”
I listened to CTV News live stream until 2 PM and they were always 30 minutes to an hour behind Twitter. You don’t need to ask why people preferred Twitter – it was more accurate, almost instantaneous. Twitter also allowed people to express themselves, which sometimes gets a little messy for those who like their news censored.
CTV Twitter bashing
By supper time ATV ran a story on the dangers of “social media” including an out-of-touch talking head who gave the network quasi-authoritative negative quotes about social media. Moncton Manhunt: The Pros and Cons of Social Media
Of course, the story was self-serving with CTV suggesting the public should trust them to filter the news. Twitter is a “double-edged sword” according to ATV.
CTV National News carried a story advising people not to Tweet police locations against a backdrop of a stake-out in Mountain Road in Moncton. The message is: let us do the reporting. We’re the professionals.
Frankly, it’s too late. We don’t believe mainstream media. According to PEW Research, we trust the media as much as used car salespeople and politicians.
The reality us different media have important roles to play in informing the public. It would be more honest to accept that and use each source instead of Twitter bashing.
Follow me on Twitter at @sdpate or on Facebook at NJN Network, OyeTimes and IMA News Buzz.
Video is copyright CTV News allowed use as Fair Dealing under the Canada Copyright Act, Section “29.2 Fair dealing for the purpose of news reporting does not infringe copyright if the following are mentioned: (a) the source… or (iv) broadcaster, in the case of a communication signal.”
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