A case of the tweets

Twitter has become a pretty useful tool for journalists; it’s the new platform in the race to break news first, especially when it comes to a series of events like the World Cup or Panjo the tiger running around. Lately, South Africans have been using Twitter to keep fellows tweeters up-to-date with the Jackie Selebi and Brett Kebble trials.

5fm’s Damon Kavalri has extended his voice to Twitter, sharing the latest on air and online, as is Eyewitness News Reporter, Mandy Wiener, and the Mail & Guardian’s Centre for Investigative Journalism:

Hodes is still tearing into all the contradicting details between Nassif's statement and his testimony.less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhoneDamon Kalvari
DamonKalvari

Lesson learned from this trial. Get the very best lawyers. Sell your house, your car if necessary. These witnesses have kak lawyers.less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhoneDamon Kalvari
DamonKalvari

Had to leave court. Excruciating. Same thing over and over again. Hodes pointing out contradictions between statement and testimony.less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhoneDamon Kalvari
DamonKalvari

#Kebble No stenographer so postponed until Tuesday. Joys of the PSA strike.less than a minute ago via mobile webMandy Wiener
MandyWiener

#Kebble Everyone still hanging around the courtroom. No witness in sight. But there is a stenographer. No idea if we're going ahead.less than a minute ago via HootSuiteMandy Wiener
MandyWiener

#Kebble Court adjourning early - Sander is finished and now everyone's hoping that MTN lady rocks up tomo to finish her cross examinationless than a minute ago via webMGCIJ
amaBhungane

These tweets have kept South Africans informed and involved, just simple logging into their social network, whether they’ve been in the courtroom themselves, or on the other side of the world trying to pick up on what’s happening back home. It seems like a pretty simple and obvious right? When the tools are available for instant journalism and breaking news, why not use them?

Well it seems our fellow journalists in the UK and US don’t have as much freedom in this regard. According to Afua Hirsch’s Law Blog at the Guardian.co.uk, arguments have been made that tweets or blogs act as sound bites of a case, and can’t provide the entire context of the case. Thing is, whether the journalist is in the courtroom tweeting, or rushing out at intervals to send off a typed up copy, the entire context will never be clear until the very end of the case- otherwise, well there wouldn’t be anything to hold a trial for now would there? So why not provide a blow-by-blow account; journalists aren’t claiming to provide answers to questions the judges or prosecution haven’t got, they’re simply working in the call of duty and providing the news as it happens.