Comments on: New Tricks: Does a re-tweet equal an endorsement?

By: dan360man

dan360man — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:49:33 +0000

I think there are better ways to do that.

By: K

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:47:37 +0000

No, a retweet is not an endorsement. It just says: Hey! Look what I'm reading.

By: Patrick LaForge

Patrick LaForge — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:29:56 +0000

Is a link to a Google search an endorsement of the results?

By: Patrick LaForge

Patrick LaForge — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:24:50 +0000

Interesting question, bad example. The list that was linked in my tweet was basically a Twitter search, the very definition of caveat emptor. And certainly anyone using Twitter knows that account identities and locations are unverified. Anyone who has ever put a hashtag in a tweet or linked to a Google/Twitter search URL has essentially done the same thing. I do think the question of whether a retweet is an endorsement is an interesting topic. Even though I think a retweet just means “interesting, check it out,” I understand not everyone does, and I exercise care in retweeting. There were many RTs that were questionable re: Iran, but this was not one of them.

By: socialized blog » The Sick Culture of the Twitter Retweet

socialized blog » The Sick Culture of the Twitter Retweet — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:27:07 +0000

[...] Does a Retweet Equal an Endorsement? That’s the question posed on the Old Media New Tricks blog. Would a tweet be interesting if it was untrue? The sender of the retweet is implying at the very least endorsement of its source if not the item itself, and that is one of the things that makes retweets of breaking news so untrustworthy. [...]

By: david

david — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:19:27 +0000

A journo should retweet WITH a disclaimer of some sort. For instance, instead of simply retweeting a rumor or unverified tweet, a journo should append the retweet with something like (unconfirmed) or (FYI-not sourced yet). Eats a few of the precious 140 characters, but probably worth it.

By: Joe Schmitt

Joe Schmitt — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:54:13 +0000

I think retweets are endorsements, unless the person qualifies it in some way. And I think in general it's always best if you add some commentary to a link or tweet showing why you think it's important to pass on. Though there are plenty of caveats – if you're passing a link to a news site, then responsibility for fact checking belongs with that organization I'd say. Sharing links or stories is definitely taking some sort of responsibility for the content – after all, you want credit for showing it to others. If you forward an email or tweet that alleges Obama was schooled by Muslims and is therefore a Manchurian Candidate, then you believe it to be true, hope it to be true, or want others to think it is in order to advance your own agenda.

By: dan360man

dan360man — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:53:40 +0000

Agreed, but I find that many Tweeters are quite lazy. Many are too lazy to even do a damn Google search. (Have you seen this phenomenon too?)

Not that I mind or anything. Sometimes I can be this lazy!

By: Chris Prevatt

Chris Prevatt — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:13:06 +0000

No, A retweet is simply the redistribution of someone elses information. It is up to the reader to track back to the original source and determine for themselves the veracity of the story.

By: Mike Maddaloni - The Hot Iron

Mike Maddaloni - The Hot Iron — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:20:47 +0000

Why does anyone say anything? How many times have you (or anyone else reading this) said something, and then when asked why you said it, you didn't have a clear answer?!

A retweet can be an endorsement or it cannot be. I retweet to pass something along to others from someone whom they may not be following. In some cases it is an endorsement.

Honestly, this is the most I have thought about RTs since I was first introduced to it!

mp/m