NDM case study: News on the Tweet

1.Why are respected news brands good news for Twitter?

Twitter users gave their 

main reasons for using the 

service, the top three 

reasons given were:

• To be aware of what is 
  going on in the world 39%
• To pass the time 39%
• To be connected to people 
  I am interested in but don’t 
  know 38%

Two of those - what is going on 

in the world and following people 

they don’t know (celebrities and 

the journalists themselves) - 

are core newsbrand territory, 

while even ‘passing the time’ is 

something that is often done 

with newsbrand content.  

Twitter users like to follow the news as it happens; like to see it breaking on Twitter; and enjoy the combination of Twitter and news content. They also enjoy the personalisation, debate and finding communities of like-minded people, which are all elements of their news experience.

2.Why in turn is Twitter good for respected news brands?

Twitter 

is helping to make newsbrands 

more accessible, more influential 

and more connected than 

ever before. 

The immediacy and accessibility of Twitter brings valuable readers to newspaper brands that they would not normally read in print or directly online. Twitter’s instant accessibility and diversity of content enables newsbrand followers to widen their portfolio of sources to suit their own interests, opinions and tastes. The vast majority of them (78%) access a range of brands, sub-brands or journalists; providing much higher combined reach levels than could ever be provided in the analogue age.

3.The report suggests that old and new media “are not, in fact, in direct competition, but often work extremely well together to enhance both the media Eco-system and the consumer experience”. What evidence do they provide to support this idea? 

Twitter 

and newspaper brands, 

enhancement takes place 

in four different ways:

• Knowledge
• Opinion
• Community
• Gossip & banter

The report suggests that Newsbrands provide all four key benefits in a variety of ways: 

Knowledge:

Being the first to know- gaining 

insight and analysis as the 

story develops. 

Instant updates from a trusted 

source are a key element of this. 

Newsbrand handles provide 

legitimacy and authority when 

news is breaking on Twitter. 

They also provide journalists who 

offer quicker, more accurate and 

instant updates on stories as 

they happen.


Opinion 

Being part of the wider debate – ‘having your say’.
Immediate access 

to opinions – from friends, 

the general public and most 

importantly the tweeters they 

follow (“I want to know what 

people think”) as well as access 

to the debate from a variety 

of sources (“I want to form 

my own opinion”). 

Newsbrands offer expert 

opinion pieces while individual 

journalists offer honest and 

frank opinions, as well as 

engaging with followers.

Community 

Connecting with like-minded people.

Twitter and newsbrands 

together provide a real sense of 

community – “discovering people 

with shared interests I wouldn’t 

otherwise meet”. N

ewspaper brands define these better than any other media ‘marker’; after 

all, you are what you read (in

which case, these consumers 

are becoming much more 

multi-dimensional).

Gossip and banter 

Having a bit of banter or gossip about celebrities, sports or political scandals are all part of the entertainment and are often turned to when newsbrand followers want to relax. They are looking for both humour as well as ‘backstage access’ into the lives of the people and things they are interested in. Newsbrands are responsible for some of the most popular individual tweeters. Individual journalists are key contributors to the humorous content on Twitter.

4.On page 24/25 of the report, the focus turns to 'gossip' or 'banter'. What example tweets from journalists are used to illustrate this? 

Neil Ashton @neilashton • Nov 5

Arsenal are toast: In all seriousness now, what

are the sales figures like for this kind of stuff?

@soran1: pic.twitter.com/yt6wxO2JaB

Tom Newton Dunn @tnewtondunn • Feb 12

Biggest cheer at the Emirates tonight by

#AFC? To an announcement for the MUFC

away fans that no more trains leaving Euston.

Grace Dent @gracedent • Nov 6

I reveal the shocking truth behind Jennifer

Aniston’s new hair http://ind.pn/HJXtV9

Caitlin Moran @caitlinmoran • Jan 11

The most amazing thing about the story of

President Hollande having an affair is that he

apparently only has one pair of shoes.

Mirror Sport @MirrorSport • Feb 21

Our man @eaamalyon is live blogging the

curling so you don’t have to watch it (for free)

on widely available BBC1 - http://www.mirror.

co.uk/sport/

Daily Mail Celebrity @DailyMailCeleb • Feb 12
Do these pants make Kim Kardashian’s bum
look big? http://dailym.ai/1aS7Sfy pic.twitter.
com/QEdkYMxdkD

5.Do you think the increasing amount of 'gossip' or 'banter' is harming the reputation of news and journalists?

I think that the increasing amount of gossip and banter is harmless as the audience is looking for for both humour as well as ‘backstage access’ into the lives of the people and things they are interested in. However, it could be harmful in the sense that they may make up fake stories. 

6.What does the report say about trust in Twitter and journalists (look at pages 34-39)?

When it comes to news content, trust is an important part of the process. Almost half of all Twitter users, and almost two thirds of newsbrand users, say it is important that news on Twitter is verified by a respected brand. This helps build trust in the content. 

7.Do you think new and digital media developments such as Twitter have had a positive or negative impact on traditional newspapers?

I think that new and digital media developments have had a negative impact on radtional newspapers because newsbrands and Twitter are enabling people to share opinions,
insights, experiences, and perspectives with each other which they werent able to do through the traditional newspaper.

8.Finally, how can we link this report to the vital current debate regarding fake news and Facebook? Do traditional news brands need protecting to ensure there are sources we can trust?

Twitter and newsbrands create a constant flow of interaction. This means that there are also  topical possibilities - both planned around known seasons, events or sections/supplements and more opportunistic placements as individual stories develop, grow and gather pace. Therefore, individuals are more likely to use this to create fake news stories. I think that news brands need protection when it comes to major news stories/events. For example, they should've had extra protection during the Trump election to ensure audiences were getting the right information in order to base judgements and not be influenced by a unreliable source.