Inside Opinion » Twitter

Social media should be out of order in the courtroom

TNT Editorial Board — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:52:02 +0000

This editorial will appear in Monday’s print edition.

We can all probably agree that there are a few places where it’s inappropriate to tweet or post something to Facebook about what’s going on.

The bathroom comes immediately to mind. Talk about oversharing.

But what about the courtroom? Increasingly, cases are being affected – and verdicts overturned – because some jurors are all too eager to share their opinions through social media like Twitter and Facebook. And according to a Wall Street Journal report, attorneys are even searching social media for comments that could provide fodder for costly new trials or …

Who Bill Gates follows on Twitter

Cheryl Tucker — Tue, 11 May 2010 20:52:11 +0000

At last count, Bill Gates has more than 830,000 followers on Twitter. He’s following 119 people or groups.

The icon of one person he’s following jumped out at me from his Twitter page: Roy Tenneman. Only he’s not a person; he’s a British sitcom character.

Roy is actually actor Chris O’Dowd (at left in photo), and the show he’s best known for is the hilarious “The IT Crowd,” three seasons of which are available on DVD (I checked them out from the Pierce County Library). Roy, Moss and Jen are the computer nerd squad for a big …

Journalism in-jokes

Cheryl Tucker — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:35:09 +0000

I can’t speak for others in my profession, but when I have a minute or 10 to waste on the Internet, one of my favorite go-to places is the Fake AP Stylebook on Twitter. Think of it as the insane cousin of the real AP Stylebook, the bible of journalists – except for the exceptions that every organization seems to have.

The fake stylebook offers offbeat definitions and advice that, if followed, would likely result in a warning, suspension or even termination of employment.

Here are few of the cleaner entries:

In stories about celebrity deaths, remember the

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