Gatejumping: Twitter, TV News and Delivery of Breaking News

Date

2011-05

Authors

Blasingame, Dale C.

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Abstract

The diffusion of Twitter has changed the gatekeeping process and flow of information in television news. Because of Twitter, the power of news delivery is now in the hands of many different newsroom employees who, in the past, were not employed in roles of storytellers. This study qualitatively examines how Twitter has altered the "gates" and the flow of information in television newsrooms in San Antonio, Texas, the country's 37th largest television market, and quantitatively analyzes how television stations and employees there are using Twitter. The data show Twitter is currently being used primarily for another function, not as a tool to deliver breaking news and that some stations are trying as hard as possible to hold on to as much gatekeeping power in a digital world.

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Keywords

online journalism, television broadcasting of news, journalism, technological innovations, news broadcasting

Citation

Blasingame, D. C. (2011). Gatejumping: Twitter, tv news and delivery of breaking news (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, Texas.

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