Social media news has been revolutionized by mobile technology. Any owner of an iPhone can instantly publish their photos and text to a social network for people to see. This breakthrough in journalism helps professional journalists do their jobs better and gives citizen journalists unprecedented influence.
Twitter is regarded as the social news engine because its first-come, first-served nature lends itself well to the timeliness of journalism. News gatherers can post to Twitter and appear to their followers immediately. This makes timely breaking news updates a common expectation. When history is happening live, people want to witness it as it unfolds. Twitter users search their timelines for first-person visuals and commentary to consume and share through retweets, and the ones that capture the essence of the moment will be shared frequently through live action virality. Twitter journalism can spread quickly during dramatic events, and one event took place on April 27, 2015 that the Twittersphere could not avoid.
On April 12, 2015, Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man, sustained a traumatic injury in the back of a Baltimore Police van. Gray had restraints on his hands and legs and was not buckled into his seat — he died a week later. The officers involved in his arrest were charged with numerous crimes, but not before the city showed its collective anger over an act of police misconduct that it saw as the last straw.
Thousands of Baltimore residents took to the streets to protest after details of the arrest emerged, and intensity reached a breaking point on the night of April 27 after Gray’s funeral. Citizens of all ages flooded the streets to protest. In some cases, people turned to crime by vandalizing police cars, looting business, and setting buildings on fire (most notably a CVS Pharmacy and a nearly completed apartment complex for senior citizens).
The peaceful protests, heightened police presence, riots, and community reaction were all part of this story, along with more themes than any of us could possibly know. With a situation so complex and dense, it would’ve been a disservice to report on just one plot line. Thanks to Twitter and, more importantly, the journalists on the ground, we were given extensive coverage of April 27, 2015 in Baltimore. Here are some accounts who brought their A game and were frequently shared:
@BaltimoreSun
Baltimore’s leading newspaper was relentless in its coverage of the Freddie Gray protest, and they didn’t need to talk about the rioting to do it. That’s right — no photos of residents breaking windows. Instead, it reported on the Freddie Gray arrest, updated Baltimore citizens on areas of the city to avoid, and gave an up-close look at the stories behind the protests. And they temporarily removed the pay wall to their site.
Now that’s service.
@jonswaine
Jon Swaine is a reporter for the Guardian who covers breaking news in the United States. He was on the ground in Baltimore on the night of April 27 and throughout the week. When the construction site for the senior living center caught fire, Swaine didn’t act like a moth to the flame trying to nab video. Instead, he pulled a quote from Pastor Hickman of the Southern Baptist Church in Baltimore. Swaine didn’t need dozens of pictures and videos of the fire to tell a story; the expression and words of Pastor Hickman said more than the blaze ever could.
@byjoelanderson
Joel Anderson of Buzzfeed News watched West Baltimore lose its composure first hand. A cloud of smoke enveloped this notoriously impoverished side of Baltimore while citizens displayed their anger, storeowners braced for impact, and police surrounded the area. He got intense, up-close photos of the chaos, but when given the opportunity to capture an image of someone looting, well:
Others, like @deray and @paulmgardner provided in-depth citizen journalism that rivaled any professional. The difference, however, is that they answered to no one. Their social commentary gave as much insight as any network reporter did — perhaps more. Thanks to Twitter, we had those two citizen journalists, along with thousands more. And it’s all thanks to this decade’s emergence in mobile technology and social media.
Anyone with a smartphone has the power to capture history, and that’s exactly what professional and citizen journalists did in Baltimore on the night of April 27 and are still doing.
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