The Right ClickHow technology shaped the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing
When the news first broke of an explosion at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, I didn’t find out about it from a TV news channel, or from a news website; a fellow editor in the Yahoo! Canada newsroom shouted, “hey, did you guys see what’s happened in Boston? There’s been an explosion at the marathon. It’s all over Twitter.”
And for the first five minutes after the news broke, that’s where the world looked for information on what happened; people who were there quickly tweeted (uncensored) photos from the scene, and those photos were retweeted thousands of times as people sought out more news about the incident. It wasn’t long before online news sites and TV stations started covering the news, but it was communication on Twitter that got the news out fastest.
[ Full Coverage: Boston Marathon Explosions ]
It’s one of several online sources that highlighted yesterday how the news coverage and communication surrounding an event has come to depend so much on social media and the Internet. Here’s a look at some of the biggest ways social media shaped the news coverage of the explosion, and how technology helped to connect loved ones in the ensuing chaos.
Initially launched to help people check on loved ones following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan back in 2011, the Person Finder was active again yesterday as a resource for anyone looking for someone following the chaos of the Boston Marathon explosions. Those with looking for someone or with information on someone can visit the website and post information they have on someone’s whereabouts, or search for the name of someone they’re looking for. The person finder shows that it’s currently tracking about 5400 records.
Google Docs
Boston.com hoped to connect those in need of help or a place to stay through a Google Doc, a file service that lets users share text documents, slideshows and more online with whomever they choose. They set up a text file and encouraged those with space for people to sleep or get a hot meal to share it on there, in hopes of those looking for those things being able to find them. There is also a form visitors can fill out, listing how many people they’re travelling with and how to get in contact if someone can help them out.
The popular link sharing community proved the perfect arena for helping those in need yesterday, as was proven by at least one visitor to the city who found herself in a jam. A Redditor by the name of “yoonalee” posted late yesterday, sharing her story of how Reddit had helped her when the friend she was meant to be staying with was in hospital following the explosion. A stranger at the hospital loaned her a laptop, showed her how to use Reddit, where she posted a request for somewhere to stay for the night. Yoonalee was quickly flooded with responses, and was very appreciative of all the kind offers of help.
While many people think of Twitter as the way for ‘citizen journalists’ to record events and report from the front line, it’s also becoming one way that traditional journalists and news outlets are using to get the best possible story out to their audiences. A Poynter Institute story argues that while Twitter has certainly changed the way news is reported, it still takes the same qualities that have always been required of news to tell a compelling story:
“The tools have changed, with Twitter an instant printing press for bite-sized bits of news,” Jason Fry writes, “but the skills – a keen eye, empathetic ear, and a good list of contacts – have not.”
News outlets are using tweets from reporters to get the story out one 140 character bite at a time, and in many cases, using services like Storify or Scribble to collect those tweets into live coverage of events. You can see an example of The Daily Beast’s Storify coverage here, and can find out more about how Boston.com used ScribbleLive for its coverage of the Boston Marathon, and the subsequent explosion in this blogpost.
Yahoo! readers, how else have you seen technology used following the attack in Boston?
