When I think of Twitter, twit comes easily to mind

In case you missed the memo, the city of Odessa now has a Twitter account to spread news and information about what’s going on in the city.
In case you missed the memo about Twitter, it basically is a website that lets you “tweet.” In essence, you sign up with Twitter and become a fan of others who have accounts. They also can become fans of yours. Twitter lets people send short messages via mobile texting devices like cell phones or through instant messages. Or you can sign on to Twitter and read what others have to say.
It’s a quick way to stay in touch with others in this mi-crowave society we live in. And now the city has an account.
“They’re not going to have to go through a third person to get their information about the city of Odessa,” city public information officer Andrea Goodson proclaimed last week. “They’re getting it straight from the horse’s mouth.”
Are you kidding me?
Forgive me if Goodson’s remarks struck me funny. Since the Odessa American is one of those “third person” things Goodson was talking about, I thought it prudent to under-score just how ludicrous her comment is — especially con-sidering she once worked in media.
Goodson basically said the city will tweet what’s impor-tant.
Think the city will tweet that it was a firefighter arrested and charged in connection with an attempted break-in?
Think the city will tweet that your property taxes are go-ing up, or will they just say they dropped the tax rate?
Think the city will give out information on wrecks with-out someone asking for the information? (Heck, even when we ask they balk at giving some information.)
Think the city will tell you the city attorney has been dis-ciplined for inappropriate conduct with a subordinate?
Think the city will tell you how much money it spent on Ratliff Ranch Golf Links and how revenues are below expec-tations?
Think the city will tell you it is behind on a skatepark or sewer line project by several weeks?
What makes this country great is the fact that media can step up and ask hard questions and let people know what’s really going on behind the scenes.
For the most part, I’d argue that Odessa is a very well run city. But I wouldn’t trust any government to tell me what’s going on without a third person asking tough questions all along the way.
The problem with public information officers all over this town is that they all think their job is to protect the entity they work for instead of getting information in the public’s hands and letting truth and reason prevail in the field (for-give my rough paraphrase, Mr. Milton).
The Fourth Estate is a long way from being dead. As long as there are politicians, media will be digging up stories of waste and abuse of power.
If used correctly, the city’s Twitter account can be useful, but even remotely suggesting that it ends the role of media is laughable.