"Twitter poses risks for papers" according to Edward Wasserman - but not in the way you might expect. Although much credit has recently gone to Twitter for its ability to break news and its real-time search function, Wasserman is looking at its threat from a different angle. The Knight professor of journalism ethics at Washington and Lee University describes how it is the use of Twitter within their newsrooms which is worrying news execs.

Wasserman describes Twitter as a "a dazzling social networking technology that allows you to stay in touch," adding that smart news organisations are encouraging its use due to its potential for sourcing stories and journalistic networking. Yet he also points out that "the potential is there for staffers to spout off, spill secrets, give away their journalism" - as happened at the New York Times recently.
However, he concludes that "the real danger of Twitter isn't its power to undermine newsroom authority," but its ability to "seduce journalists into swapping one bubble for another kind of enclosure." He warns against journalists being so enticed by Twitter's powers that they stay off the street and in front of their computer screens, creating a whole new editorial process - and perhaps ignoring the voices of those who aren't so well connected.

Source: Miami Herald