Twitter first to report on aircraft crash

published 25 February 2009

Twitter once again has proved its ability to break major news stories ahead of traditional' web media, as it became the first place for images of the Turkish Airlines crash in Holland.

CNN reports that it first learned of the crash via images posted on Twitter and, after confirming the veracity of the image with the original poster, it aired the story.

The Turkish Airlines 737-800 aircraft crashed as it tried to land at Schiphol Airport in Holland, killing nine people. Reports have said that Twitter users revealed that people had died in the crash even as Turkish Authorities initially claimed that there had been no fatalities.

Twitter's news making ability first came to prominence after the terror attacks in Mumbai, when those caught up in the attacks and observers tweeted' about events before news outlets had arrived on the scene.

Benny Har-Even is a twenty-year stalwart of technology journalism who is passionate about all areas of the industry, but telecoms and mobile and home entertainment are among his chief interests. He has written for many of the leading tech publications in the UK, such as PC Pro and Wired, and previously held the position of technology editor at ITPro before regularly contributing as a freelancer.

Known affectionately as a ‘geek’ to his friends, his passion has seen him land opportunities to speak about technology on BBC television broadcasts, as well as a number of speaking engagements at industry events.

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