In class on October 13, I will be discussing Twitter's affect on sport journalism and the varies controversies stemming from its incorporation to news. I will discuss Twitter's beginnings and its rise as a "news source."

The beginning of my presentation gives a brief overview of The First Amendment, definitions it placed and the history of newspapers. It is important to understand the structure of free speech and the formation of media in America before delving into issues with new media and Twitter.

Next I will discuss the history of Twitter and its development to the social media power that it is today. A case study broke down Twitter's humble beginnings and predicted it to surpass Facebook and Myspace in the near future. This is important to the topic as social media grows and eventually encompasses other industries, the sports news industry will undoubtedly shift toward utilizing the tool.

I will then give reasons why sports journalists are transitioning toward Twitter journalism, mainly because sports stars use the networking site as a personal branding tool. Shaq, Stewart Cink and Serena Williams all have a large amount of followers on their Twitter accounts. News outlets follow athletes and assume their tweets are factual without getting another source, creating a journalistic conundrum.

I will then describe Twitter journalism and show a youtube clip to better describe this new topic. This will show the other side of the argument as the clip gives a positive view of Twitter journalism.

Immediately following will be an example controversial issues involved with Twitter, regarding fake accounts. St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa sued Twitter in 2009 because an imposter in San Francisco used his name to post demeaning comments of former and current players.

Discussion questions regarding Twitter's legitamacy as a news source will conclude the presentation.

See you there