Twitter and CNN have announced a new tool that will help journalists find breaking news faster through the messaging site.
Developed through social analytics company Dataminr, the tool is intended to identify breaking news "in real time," CNET reported.
The technology, which was piloted at CNN, can review tweets and find patterns when news is in its "infancy," Dataminr CEO Ted Bailey told TechCrunch, which first reported the tool. Journalists have already been using Twitter to find breaking news, but the new tool will help them find valuable tips much faster.
CNN's news team members have already used the technology for such stories as a mall shooting, a flight to Beijing that had to turn back and a cupcake shop that was listed as an Obamacare enrollment site.
The journalists were able to use Dataminr for News to find the stories while they were breaking or to track down eyewitness sources.
"It is very quickly becoming an essential tool," CNN Digital Managing Editor Meredith Artley said as quoted by TechCrunch.
While nothing is foolproof, the Dataminr for News tool will analyze whether information is accurate through "corroborating sources on the ground" and other factors, TechCrunch said.
The technology will be available to all journalists for a cost later this year. CNN served only as a testing ground and has no commercial interest in the project.
The news team had exclusive, early access to the tool, but will become just another customer when Datminr for News is launched for all media.
CNN still has something of an edge from gaining early access, according to KC Estonson, the general manager of CNN Digital.
"There's no such as permanent exclusivity ... there is such a thing as first mover advantage," Estonson told TechCrunch.
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
