A generation ago coverage of a story like today's earthquake in Japan was anything but on-demand. Other than a network cut-in, we'd have to wait for the evening paper or Uncle Walter to bring us the latest.
Then came the moment when Ted Turner threw the switch at a 24 hours news service out of Atlanta called CNN. As long as we were near a TV, we could be informed.
This morning I first got the news via digital device. Soon as I turned on the screen there was an alert with the news of the 8.9 earthquake. The news outlets I follow in Twitter provide a Tsunami of content about the resulting Tsunami. Many of those news outlets are reaching out to us, asking us if we have family or friends in the impacted areas of Japan or Hawaii and to share any news we have from them.
A tap on the link to my Disaster Alert App instantly shows me a global map of impacted areas and alerts. Need to drill down for more specific and scientific information? There's an app for that.
Video is available from multiple streams, in real time, direct to your device or computer.
Oh yes, it's also on TV.
As I've posted so often, all this means empowerment for us as consumers of news and information. We are now our own newscast producers.
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"
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