The details of the murder of three family members in Cheshire, Connecticut are as disgusting and gruesome as you’re ever likely to hear. I won’t recap the whole story, but you can read about it at WTNH’s excellent coverage. The trial of defendant Steven Hayes was big news in Connecticut and even the surrounding states. On Tuesday, Hayes was found guilty, and many people found out the verdict from WTNH’s Twitter feed. The idea of tweeting live from court is a new one – and one that is worthy of good debate. WTNH reporter Rachel Guerra writes about the experience and the feedback she’s getting:
“One loyal follower, known on Twitter as @ctwebsites, says he loved keeping the @news8now feed on his computer, giving him the courtroom experience without being there….
“But of course many aren’t excited about this new media platform. On daily basis Tweeters were attacked. A New Haven Advocate reporter called it a “form of voyeurism, and an “extreme form of rubber-necking.” A New York Times reporter took my card because he wants to write about the use of Twitter at trials, but only after saying he wasn’t sure about the whole thing and is afraid that once people get “these types of details so quickly, it’s hard for them to go back to the other way.”
(What an unusual quote from the NYT reporter. Is he opposed to people getting information quickly?)
Writes one commenter (“Cyberjack 101″) on the entry:
“Her tweets often made me cry because of the heinous acts being reported, but her comments made me feel I was in the courtroom alongside her. It was an unique experience I had never felt before.”
The use of Twitter in this case was excellent. WTNH stuck to facts and observations – exactly what you’d expect from a local media outlet. Frankly, I don’t see a downside. You’re giving people immediate, trusted information. It’s less intrusive than TV and far more succinct. Twitter doesn’t replace the TV newscast – but when used properly, can augment it well and give the audience information on their own terms.
The WTNH Twitter feed at the moment of the convictions
