Twitter for journalists

Twitter gave a big nudge to old-school journalists yesterday when it launched Twitter for Newsrooms, or #Tfn. While most media-savvy reporters already use Twitter, others wouldn’t touch it. Or, as Twitter itself puts it: “We know you come from different generations. Some are native to the pilcrow, others native to the hashtag. You began your careers in different media: radio, print, broadcast, online and mobile. But you share a common bond: the desire to make a difference in the world, bringing reliable information to the communities you serve”

Sounds sweet, but is it likely to work? As TechCrunch says, isn’t Twitter preaching to the choir on this one? Mediagazer founding editor Megan McCarthy also raised a brow: “Twitter for Newsrooms is a bit redundant for me because Twitter is my newsroom.” EditorsWeblog wondered if Twitter is a newsroom, then what’s a newsroom without an editor? Not everybody was so skeptical. Media Bistro called the resource a long time coming, and the Nieman Journalism Lab guessed it could help push Twitter into more mainstream use for newspapers.