Inside View from Ireland: Twitter Flooding the Papers

ON FATHER'S DAY in Ireland, several prominent Sunday papers give over entire pages to cover Twitter and its role in Iran. It's also a subject covered in a Qik flick through the Sunday papers (a 6-minute video clip). In "The Observer Profile," Bobbie Johnson argues that besides being "a global phenomenon", Twitter is also "a powerful political tool." [1] John Gapper in the Financial Times believes "every Twitter follower who signs on for updates about popular protests in Iran or China signals their revolutionary sympathies." [2] The Sunday Times runs a soft poke [3] and some of the weekend's most astute coverage [4] of Twitter. The Sunday Business Post has covered the services before as well, but misses the opportunity to analyse the citizen-enablement issue as part of its Media and Marketing coverage this week.

Twitter even gets noticed by a main news article in my local paper. A renewed emphasis on South Tipperary tourism includes "a newly enhanced website, incorporating blogging, twittering and links to member-own sites". [5]

Used to good effect in Ireland, Twitter still remains unanointed by the mainstream media in Ireland. However, with all the column inches dedicated to Twitter today, I expect to hear a minimum of five national radio news items about the microblogging service in Ireland on Monday. That's because Monday's radio segments often source themselves from Sunday's news clippings. I'm listening and may record some audio clips from the radio for blog readers.

1. Bobbie Johnson -- "The tweet that shook the world" in "7 Days" in the Observer, 21 June 2009.

2. John Gapper -- "Technology is a tool for revolution (and repression" in the Financial Times, 21 June 2009.

3. Dedalus -- "Tell Twink not to be a twit on Twitter" in the comment section of the Sunday Times, 21 June 2009.

4. Andrew Sullivan -- "Twitter Ripped the veil off the other and we saw ourselves" in the Sunday Times, 21 June 2009.

5. The Nationalist -- "New company formed to promote South Tipp Tourism" in the 18 June 2009 edition.

Direct link to Qik clip: http://www.qik.com/video/1925166