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Social Media is Chopping Down the Grapevine

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Gone are the days of receiving news through six degrees of separation. Now, instead of hearing about a story from a friend who heard it from CNN who heard it from the Associated Press, you’re getting news from the source via Twitter and Facebook.

In the past few weeks, two news stories have shown how social media is cutting out the media middle man by giving news sources the opportunity to speak directly with the public. A few keystrokes on Twitter now make press conferences obsolete.

Elizabeth Edwards “Facebooked” her cancer treatment update

Elizabeth Edwards, ex-wife of former presidential hopeful John Edwards, announced she would stop her breast and liver cancer treatment after doctors informed her that further treatment would be “unproductive.” Edwards did not make a formal announcement or release a statement but instead posted the announcement on her Facebook account.

News media began covering the story after word of the Facebook announcement spread. The news and social media coverage of her cancer battle rallied support for Edwards, but sadly she passed awayDec. 7, 2010. She was 61.

The decision to share such information on Facebook may have been because of the informal nature of the site, or maybe it was simply the fastest way to reach all her friends and family before they heard the news from the media.

Josh McDaniels canned in a tweet

The Denver Broncos Twitter account opted to forgo a press conference announcement and reveal the newest former coach with a tweet that said,“Broncos Owner Pat Bowlen has relieved Josh McDaniels of his head coaching duties. Details to follow on DenverBroncos.com.”

With such a large-scale announcement, it is interesting that the Broncos decided to tell the team’s fans before ever alerting the media. The tweet reached sports network ESPN fairly quickly, but by then it was old news to the fans who use Twitter.

Beat the media to the punch

Social media allows people and organizations to send information to a large amount of people in a direct and sincere way. Directness and sincerity are often what the media strip from what you are trying to say, so cut out the middle man and preserve your message.


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