Responsible Tweeting: Mumbai Provides Teachable Moment
This morning when I checked the news about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, I saw many people on Twitter reporting that the Indian police or government had asked Twitter users to please stop reporting on police and military operations related to the attacks.
That struck me as odd. I’ve heard police and military make similar requests of news organizations (especially live TV) during crisis situations–but asking social media users for this sort of self-censorship? It seemed not merely futile, but perhaps a bit draconian.
It also occurred to me that such an official request might be a milestone in the evolving power dance of the police/military, professional press, and the public. What precedent could this set for future police/public interactions during other kinds of events–like political demonstrations, natural disasters, or food riots?



