Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
Claire Berlinski, Ed. ·
Jul 13, 2011 at 7:11am
Twitter suddenly went vibrant about it. A search on Google News turned up nothing. The Times of India now confirms it. The hashtag is #mumbaiblasts.
Those of you who doubt the value of Twitter can perform an experiment: Compare following that to the news you'll get anywhere else.
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Jun '10
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
Just popped up as a breaking news banner on FoxNews.com:
MUMBAI, India – Police say three explosions have been reported in India's business capital of Mumbai.
The Police Control Room says that all three blasts took place in a crowded markets and busy areas.
No other details were immediately available.
Jun '10
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
Live TV coverage (after the initial commercial) here.
Mar '11
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
Good to know what to watch for, but: "No other details were immediately available"
What we have is a headline with no context.
The first report about such a situation is, more often then not, wrong.
Let's wait to see what the folks at the scene have to say about it in the coming hours as the situation unfolds.
Sep '10
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
I have never doubted the value of Twitter -- used in proper context, of course -- since I jumped on a few months ago out of necessity rather than design. Not less than 20 minutes ago, I was reading a Catholic World News story about the Jesuits in Afghanistan teaching kids in high schools. The Jesuit quoted was from India.
The juxtaposition was eerie.
May '11
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
Re Twitter: Yes, it's true that I could have had the information several minutes faster than if I had waited for the news; but I am not sure how much benefit this access to raw data would really confer. Ms. Berlinski, I admire and follow your high-quality work, but then it is your job to monitor and report on raw data, not mine. As a person not employed as a reporter, it does not make sense for me to remain plugged into Twitter so that I am constantly interrupted by information spasms of unknown quality; I would rather check occasionally via trusted intelligent filters such as that you provide.
Jun '10
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
Crow's Nest:
Let's wait to see what the folks at the scene have to say about it in the coming hours as the situation unfolds. · Jul 13 at 7:29am
You can see what folks are saying if you go to the TV link in comment #2. CNN/IBN reporters are on scene. Thus far 8 confirmed killed and 70 injured reported.
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
Reports with context.
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
Twitter is a system of intelligent filters. That's exactly what it is. It's better than me at this. I'm just one woman.
I do appreciate the kind words about my work, though.
Jul '10
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
Twitter is a system of intelligent filters. That's exactly what it is. It's better than me at this. I'm just one woman.
I do appreciate the kind words about my work, though. · Jul 13 at 7:47am
No, Claire. There is no filter in Twitter. Anyone can write anything and there is no editorial intelligence outside of your own ability to sift through multiple streams of information. Frankly, I don't have the time, patience or energy.
Good journalists like yourself are who I turn to for news. If you get your news from Twitter, and have the wherewithal to make sense of it, qualify it, and then report on it, you are, IMHO, doing a fantastic job as a journalist. But for me and other regular guys who consume news on a less than urgent basis, Twitter simply makes no sense.
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
But that's not how it works--you don't choose "the entire world's Twitter feed," you choose those that provide you with useful information. (The ability to search under a hashtag is only one feature.)
May '11
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
Twitter is a system of intelligent filters. That's exactly what it is. It's better than me at this. I'm just one woman.
I do appreciate the kind words about my work, though. · Jul 13 at 7:47am
Fair enough--but my main point is that it's not worth my time to monitor airwaves chatter just so I can "know" something 3 minutes faster. No impact on my decision making or well being. --And please do keep up the fine reports from abroad. Most illuminating.
Mar '11
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
The BBC is actually pretty good at early reporting - "According to some reports, the blasts came on the birthday of Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, the sole surviving gunman from the 2008 attacks."
No word of whether "youths" of a particular religion were involved ...
Update: the UK Telegraph making good use of tweets.
Edited on Jul 13, 2011 at 8:38amJul '10
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
I'll admit I'm no expert, but the underlying principle is that anyone can post anything with any hashtag. You choose who you receive information from and what information you receive through things like hashtags.
But again, there is no stopping someone or a group of people from releasing inaccurate information, or from multiple sources tweeting conflicting information. (Those two problems are most severe in the minutes and hours following a confusing and terrible situation like the one currently playing out in Mumbai.) That's when your brain comes into the picture. And as I said before, figuring out what is accurate and what's not, and taking disparate reports to find out hat actually happened is what journalists do best.
If there is something I'm missing about how Twitter works, please feel free to school me.
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
Humza Ahmad
If there is something I'm missing about how Twitter works, please feel free to school me. · Jul 13 at 8:35am
I will--or I'll do my best to make the argument for it--but for now the ideal thing would be to split the difference and try to analyze this. However, this analyst has to run some errands before the shops close.
Jul '10
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
First off, I'll second that Claire is a good filter. When I saw how she uses Twitter I started from some of the contacts in her follow lists and the contacts that seemed the most informative and insightful under hash tags of interest and improved the quality of my news following immensely.
The notion that it all comes to you through the news is a joke. In America, 90% of the news from journalists comes from one ideological viewpoint.
To offset, I supplement with a range of London papers, an Irish paper, two Australian papers, a French paper, a German paper, an Indian paper, and a Taiwan paper. I do this in Twitter and in RSS feeds.
The London papers are funny, because it is all to the left of the United States, with even a couple of different Communist internationalist traditions, but the infighting is even more vicious. But a couple do original reporting from the United States without the culture filter universal in America, so they'll report stories that reveal the racism of low expectations, for example, where American media change the subject.
All media attempt to steer their audience to "what is best for them."
Jul '10
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
I'm sure it's those danged nuns.
Jun '10
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
Can we please interrupt this regularly scheduled love fest!
Jul '10
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
Wow. How much lower does it get than spamming a terrorist attack hash tag?
Jul '10
Re: Multiple Explosions Reported in Mumbai
Looks like the nuns are in the clear after all. Sorry again, ladies.
From the Long War Journal:
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the so-called Indian Mujahideen is the prime suspect. India's Intelligence Bureau has previously denied that the Indian Mujahideen exists. Instead the Bureau has claimed the terror group is a creation of the Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, or HUJI-B, an al Qaeda affiliate. HUJI-B created the Indian Mujahideen to confuse investigators and cover the tracks of the Students Islamic Movement of India, or SIMI, which provides logistics for the attacks.
SIMI is a front group for the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami and Lashkar-e-Taiba inside India. It receives support from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and is an al Qaeda affiliate. SIMI provides logistical support for attacks in India.