@BreakingNewsOn becomes a public news wire service

Posted by Lauren Drablier on January 13, 2009 at 2:57 PM

@BreakingNewsOn launched a new site, BNO News, which will serve as a public news wire service. The original BNO was launched in 2007 as an effort to break news before any other media organization through Twitter.

BNO currently has 16,400 followers and hopes to expand. They report 24/7 with news updates from around the world through Twitter, using citizen journalists. According to TechCrunch, BNO reports on the same events as the mainstream media, but usually faster and provides "more context with relevant text messages and links about the topic right after posting the actual breaking news."

In addition, they use a "more efficient processing system in combination with an extensive monitoring platform that digs up fresh news items almost as they happen."

BNO is moving away from Twitter in order to find new ways in which to monetize the service. BNO News will have separate RSS feeds and e-mail alerts as well has user-submitted news, according to TechCrunch. The service will remain free to users.

If the service takes off, it could prove to be less than serendipitous for the Associated Press and other mainstream news outlets. The power of real-time news updates through Twitter took off after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai last year, when people witnessing the events sent live updates - long before news organizations were on the scene. BNO could prove to be an interesting addition to the news industry as papers reduce the number of international correspondents and the AP enters rough waters.

Source: TechCrunch via journalism.co.uk