Live Coverage on Twitter

Twitter has become one of my go-to sources for breaking news. Last night I logged on to respond to a few direct messages (DM’s in Twitter lingo) and noticed a few tweets relating to an LA slow speed car chase involving a white Bentley. The police followed the Bentley driver for hours before the man stopped. The incident caught my attention because there was speculation that the driver could possibly be Chris Brown. The chase ended tragically and law enforcement has not yet released the name of the driver.

Through Twitter coverage, I learned that LA’s ABC and Fox news stations were streaming live coverage. I watched online and via Twitter (#bentley), hoping to discover the driver’s identity. To find more information I turned to Google, my first instinct when I have a question, but found nothing. The Associated Press did not release news about the chase until 1:34 a.m., after the driver was taken away in an ambulance. Twitter coverage proved much faster than Google or any other news outlet – aside from ABC channel 7 and Fox channel 11.

This is evidence that Twitter can absolutely raise a buzz and lead to media coverage. This principle proves true in the world of public relations. Often, if a business or brand can saturate the realm of social media, it will lead to mainstream coverage. At Bolt Public Relations, we offer social media management services to ensure that our clients receive maximum exposure across all public mediums.

For more information about the Twitter coverage versus traditional media, see Dave Winer’s blog post. For more information about the police chase, see LA Times article, “Suspect leads police on low speed pursuit in a Bentley, kills self during standoff.”

By: Anne Carr, anne@boltpr.com