How Kara Swisher uses Twitter to formulate columns

Recode cofounder Kara Swisher talked with Ezra Klein about journalism, and one of the topics she discussed was how she uses Twitter to formulae columns.

Swisher said:

I knew the stuff. It was stuff I already knew. I had been working on it for a long time. I just was able to send … what I like about journalism now is the speed of it. Getting stuff out, getting ideas and concepts out there really quickly to actually not just test them on people, but to get reaction.

When I started in journalism, when I was at the Washington Post, I used to way, way back. Not many people had email addresses. Not you people. You don’t remember it. But you didn’t. I put my email address at the bottom and a lot of the reporters are like, “What are you doing that for? The readers will talk to you.” I’m like, “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m looking for. I’m looking for feedback,” which was interesting. I really enjoy the feedback. I think the story only starts once I put it up and then I have a really interesting time with it. Or I test out concepts.

Right now I’m working on a column about how Silicon Valley people can take money from the Saudis as this gets worse and worse and worse. I’m testing it on Twitter, actually. I keep putting up, “Look at what the thugs did now. Look at this, oh Silicon Valley people.” Then I wait to see what the reaction is and get ideas and concepts from it. Then it starts to formulate in me. I guess that’s a slow way to do it.

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