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Why does the NYTimes quote tweets -- essentially publishing the shouts of strangers on the street -- before they report actual data like the change in the numbe
by jessriedel 11y ago
Why does the NYTimes quote tweets -- essentially publishing the shouts of strangers on the street -- before they report actual data like the change in the number of TSA screeners?
- rubidium 11y agoBecause most people like stories more than data.
- wutbrodo 11y agoYea, and "most people" like racy pictures too. That doesn't mean news organizations like the NY Times that still have some dignity left to shred should start putting racy photos in every article. Just as "most people like stories" doesn't mean they should be quoting random tweets.
- pessimizer 11y agoBecause, since no one would expect you to publish every relevant tweet, it makes it more defensible to cherry-pick references that are editorially on-the-nose. It's pretty reprehensible; I've seen WaPo, NYT, and the Guardian publish (editorial, not eyewitness) tweets in stories that had been retweeted less than a dozen times before making the paper.