There are four ways in which a reporter can use Twitter:
# Get breaking news tips
Twitter is like a giant notice board, where users constantly post information of what is happening around them. The trick lies in latching on to information that is relevant to your beat. This will not happen in a day. You will have to set up transmitters in the Twitter blizzard to make sure that you hear the right tweet at the right time.
The “transmitters” are nothing but identifying the most reliable Tweeters on your beat. Once you do so, you will find news tips landing in your tweet queue. These can be tweets about an accident in a city, reports of shots being fired in the neighborhood, a building crash, of motorcycle riders doing stunts in the middle of the night etc, etc. All that you need to do after that is to verify the tips, and publish your story.
# Build sources
Twitter is a great place to develop new news sources. You need to identify the most prolific tweeters on your beat and become their followers. You then need to reach out to them using the DM or the Direct Message feature on Twitter. You can ask for their contact number, e-mail address or set up a physical meeting. Your news vine will start taking shape. Your Twitter network will become your eyes and ears. You will no longer have to depend on official sources. The news will reach you, thanks to the twitter news vine.
# Source information
You can put out a tweet asking members for their views on a topical issue. Before doing this, you must identify yourself as a journalist. Your profile must list your name, designation and company name. You must also indicate why you are collecting information. Trust is a very important commodity on the net. You must make sure that you use the DM functionality to thank every Twitter member who responds to your request. This way you will make sure that you have more repsopnses when you post your next query.
# Follow news sources
It is not only the journalists who have realized the value of Twitter as a news source. It is also people who want to reach out to the media. That is why you find news makers like politicians, actors, sportsmen, etc turning to Twitter to post their views. They know that the media has set up listening posts. The same is true of corporate communications professionals. They realize that the fastest way to reach media is to tweet their company views. All that you need to do is to follow the people who matter on your beat.