Here’s a normal day at the office for one journo at News Limited. Do a Twitter search and then make up some news.

Exactly how did Kate Schneider know the nationality of Twitterers to claim that, “many Australians posted messages on Twitter and social networks saying they would postpone travel plans”? Answer, she didn’t. After making that claim the first tweet she quotes is from someone who identified themselves as from Singapore. In face she only attributes quotes to people of other nationalities and doesn’t identify any as Australian. Sloppy journalism that tries to make a story out of zero evidence.

Even before the revised warnings, many Australians posted messages on Twitter and social networks saying they would postpone travel plans.

“My trip to Jakarta has been postponed… Hotel bombings in Jakarta – Ritz Carlton and JW Marriott. And I was going to be staying at Ritz Carlton,” Martin Tay from Singapore said on Twitter.

“I’m leaving Jakarta,” another user, Marisa Della, said.

“So scary. I will not go to Jakarta,” Rua Dernawab said.

“The Ritz Carlton and the JW in Jakarta were just bombed. That’s why you shouldn’t travel to Indonesia,” Matthew Bourne, from the US, said.

“Jakarta is now right up there on my list of cities never to visit,” Kim Walbridge said.

However other travellers have not been put off their trips by the bombings.

“I go to Jakarta every now and then. As with previous bombing it isn’t changing my travel plans,” Twitter user wanting to be known as Global Traveller said.

Others are questioning what the bombings will do to the country’s tourism industry, which has just recovered after hard times.

“Tourism in Indonesia just back to normal this year after several tough years. Will the Jakarta bomb completely screw this up?” travel business owner J Tindall said.

“Bombings in Jakarta will not be good for the economy or tourism,” Indonesian Scott Stricker said.

“Explosions at Ritz Carlton Jakarta has just destroyed so many Indonesians’ dreams and wasted their efforts for years building the nation. People are dead and buildings destroyed. Next, Indonesian’s economy will take a deep plunge,” Jennifer Frentasia said.

“One step forward, 3 steps back. Let the travel warnings begin,” Twitter user Soma said.

via Australians warned not to travel to Indonesia | Travel News | News.com.au.

The truth is that she doesn’t know the nationality of the Twitter users. She is trying to beat up a story without doing any real research – heavans, it wouldn’t be hard to find some Australians who probably have postponed their travel plans but it’s easier to write ‘Twitter’ and then make something up as though that’s evidence enough.

The story then goes on to quote other Twitter posts at the time of the blast. Honestly, why doesn’t News Ltd just put up the Twitter search page instead of their own banner?

It’s fascinating to see how these mainstream news outlets are dealing with phenomenon like Twitter – it’s clear they are not. But at least they are exposing their own sloppy standards of journalism in their rush to keep up with the new information sources.

Trouble is we are probably going to rely more on the established press to filter and corroborate what comes through social networks as news – News Ltd provides no evidence that they are up to the task.

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