December 9, 2015 —

Tweeter of the Year: Division A

First place: Brian MacPherson, The Providence Journal

About this entry: “From the beginning Brian was passionate about the potential of Twitter. At the time our writers were not encouraged to tweet. Brian had an important part in changing that, and some of his early observations on the topic were incorporated into our first social media strategy. Brian has nearly 10,000 followers, making him the most followed writer at The Journal. His follower base includes every influential baseball media person in New England as well as major national figures such as Peter Gammons, Ken Rosenthal and Buster Olney. Brian’s stories are regularly among the most viewed on the website, and it is in no small part due to the retweets he gets from journalists with significant audiences of their own.”

Read “2014 Boston Red Sox: The (awful) year in tweets” Follow Brian on Twitter @brianmacp

Every one of Brian’s tweets is unique. His tweets are a clinic for any journalist – in a large or small market – on how to use Twitter. There is news, interaction and humor. Wonderful entry and a clear winner.

 

Second place: Steve Tarter, Journal Star

About this entry: Steve Tarter uses Twitter to spotlight blogs, upcoming stories, and other items of interest to his newspaper’s readers. His feed focuses on local news and stories while keeping a national perspective by retweeting articles from national publications.


Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveTarter

Third place: Andy Kravetz, Journal Star

About this entry: Andy Kravetz utilizes Twitter in his court coverage. By live tweeting from inside the courtroom, he provides followers the chance to feel as if they were there by painting a picture of the scene, interjecting feelings of shock or astonishment as evidence emerges, and explaining other facts. For example, in one trial Kravetz used his degree in molecular biology to explain DNA sequencing and mapping to followers who were having difficulty understanding the science’s impact on the case. He even credits Twitter with helping him obtain story tips he would never have had otherwise.


Follow Andy on Twitter @andykravetz