Twitter users bash US media over Iran coverage

Social networking tool Twitter was once again seen to be ahead of the curve over the weekend, as many users blasted major US networks for failing to provide timely coverage of the protests in Iran.

As Tweets emerged from the county from those involved in the protests that occurred following the controversial re-election of Mr Ahmadinejad, many were surprised by the lack of coverage from the major US news outlets such as CNN, which, they argued, did not provide significant coverage until late Sunday.

Instead, the 24-hour news station chose to show a repeat of a Larry King interview with a motorbike enthusiast. Fox News Channel and MSNBC also came under fire for their limited coverage.

As a result, a ‘#CNNfail’ hash tag was rapidly adopted on Twitter, as users started to discuss the absence of the story from the channel. Blog sites also began to refer to the issue was well, and ReadWriteWeb ran a post with the headline, “Dear CNN, Please Check Twitter for News About Iran”.

Earlier this year we presented a guide on how to use Twitter for business and just last week Dell reported that it was starting to enjoy more sales thanks to the communications tool.

CNN did respond to the furor and, according to the New York Times, said in a statement: “We share people’s expectations of CNN and have delivered far more coverage of the Iranian election and aftermath than any other network.”

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