Thursday, November 24, 2011

Leveson and Twitter

The Leveson Inquiry is underway and it's fair to say it's been a gift to the live news channels who've been sticking with the hearings since the Dowlers opened proceedings so explosively at the beginning of this week.

But Twitter is a gift to hacks and others following events without the time to actually devote to listening to the witnesses. The Inquiry chairman has allowed tweets and also there's an annexe where the journalists can sit, watch and use their smartphones (and actually write their pieces) to their hearts content. Put these contributors in a twitterlist, open it in tweetdeck, and basically you'll end up with a live text feed of evidence - very useful.

No collection of links would be right without pointing out that the Inquiry itself has a helpful website which among other things lists the forthcoming witnesses. And I post this list with the usual caveat that it can't be complete; if you've been missed out drop me a tweet (@hendopolis) and I'll add you in. 

The broadcasters have deployed in force. Ross Hawkins, more usually a political correspondent, is there for the BBC's News Channel and Peter Hunt watches it for the Corporation's various radio news and sequence outlets.
Sky are also there. Jim Old is their fixer and tweets about upcoming witnesses,and Mark White is a great provider of colour who pointed out this evening that after describing to the hearing the frightening effect of photographers, JK Rowling found her car being pursued up the street by yes, more snappers. Daisy McAndrew of ITN  is also there at times, and has tweeted today how gripping she's finding it. Understatement of the year; our newsroom, usually a cauldron of sound, was definitely on mute as the McCann's described their treatment after their daughter's disappearance.
David Batty of the Guardian is a good follow, as is the paper's Lisa O Carroll and Jonathan Haynes. I think Ben Fenton of the FT is there sometimes judging by his output.

As well as the BBC's live page beta the Telegraph runs a live blog on its frontpage as does the Guardian.  Other notables include Giles Dilnot, and Index on Censorship who seem to be live-tweeting it.  There must be more. I'll add them as I find them.