Examining the Impact of Twitter (X) on News Sourcing and Dissemination: A Qualitative Study of Mainstream Media Editors in Pakistan

Abstract

The growth of social media, particularly Twitter (X) has drastically impacted mainstream journalistic practices worldwide. In Pakistan, journalism is entering an emerging phase due to the use of Twitter (X) by journalists to perform various news-related tasks. This integration of Twitter (X) into mainstream journalism signifies a transformative move in the Pakistani mainstream media landscape. in view of the importance of Twitter (X) in journalism as highlighted in a broad range of literature, the current study is an attempt to explore how Twitter (X) has brought notable changes in mainstream journalistic practices in Pakistan. By employing qualitative in-depth interviews with 12 senior editors of print and electronic media, this study explored that Twitter (X) not only brought a trend of digital storytelling but also played a significant role in bringing changes in news sourcing and dissemination practices among Pakistani journalists. Findings revealed that Twitter (X) has paced up the speed of news gathering, followed by another significant change Twitter (X) has brought in mainstream media of Pakistan is the “democratization of information”, allowing journalists to rely on Twitter (X) to source news and to break exclusive news stories instead of going into the field for reporting.