Some observers say Twitter — a micro-blogging site where users post 140-character messages — has become a hotbed of unnecessary hype and misinformation about the outbreak, which is thought to have claimed more than 100 lives in Mexico.

“This is a good example of why [Twitter is] headed in that wrong direction, because it’s just propagating fear amongst people as opposed to seeking actual solutions or key information,” said Brennon Slattery, a contributing writer for PC World. “The swine flu thing came really at the crux of a media revolution.”

This really pressed my buttons. I’m a pro-Twitter social media enthusiast (clearly been in DC for too long if I am describing myself as pro-Twitter…) I also write about global health. I spent the morning aggregating news about the swine flu (apparently not actually swine flu) situation, and I also tweeted about it.

Some thoughts:

It’s a Cocktail Party, Not a News Conference

I understand why people turn to Twitter for news. It’s a comfortable space. You select who you follow and only click on the links that REALLY interest you. However, just because someone links it or tweets it doesn’t mean it’s fact. You’ve probably heard the analogy: Twitter’s like a cocktail party, you can choose which conversation you listen to and decide when you want to participate. When describing the site, I find that this holds up pretty well. So if what you’re doing on Twitter is selectively listening to and participating in conversation, then the level of authority of the information you receive on the site depends on who is saying it – Twitter is not a news source, but news is available on the site.

People who have always been savvy news consumers get this. As for the rest, a new medium means a new learning curve. So give it time, and people will begin to rely on Twitter more appropriately.

With Twitter, People Misunderstand in Public

During pandemics and other situations that cause widespread concern, people panic and rumors start. Before Twitter, people were getting this information from somewhere else. They were also sharing the information differently and there was probably the same level of misunderstanding, the difference now is that they’re tweeting and re-tweeting it, and it’s public and searchable . This actually might be a good thing, because it allows information to address public misunderstandings more accurately and quickly. For instance, Twitter highlighted which swine flu rumors were gaining traction. CNN writes:

Unofficial swine flu information on Twitter may lead people to unwise decisions, said Evgeny Morozov, a fellow at the Open Society Institute and a blogger on ForeignPolicy.com.

For example, some Twitter users told their followers to stop eating pork, he said. Health officials have not advised that precaution

Enter News 2.0

Al Tompkins of the Poynter Institute is right. In the article, he said, “That information needs to be put in context by journalists, especially given the fact that so many deaths from the common flu occur each year and go underreported by the news media.”

But that’s really only where it begins.

Modern journalists need to help people navigate information overload, sift through the garbage, and identify great information. They should also be expanding on the story. The decentralization of news gives us the opportunity to pursue really interesting angles. In this regard, the Web is actually a gift to journalism. Content is exploding, allowing journalists to do what they do best – vet, think, create and explain. Questions about what type of shape and model this sort of journalism will take on are relevant, but they’re also the substance of a seperate discussion.

As I read through the article, it continually proved the need for news organizations to intimately engage with social media. When crises do happen (and even when they don’t) new organizations must have the infrastructure in place to speak with a loud, authoritative voice. They need to have the networks in place to cut through the chatter and reach people who might not always read their content. Otherwise we’ll keep reading articles like this one, which really just describes the misuse of a tool.

Image: Matt Hamm/Flickr