Social Media, especially Twitter, is so much faster than the traditional media channels at spreading the word about hot topics. I’ve been following @BreakingNews since they used @BreakingNewsOn, and found that I heard about news 1-2 hours before the “breaking news” placeholder showed up on major news sites.

It looks like CNN has demonstrated this point.

ReadWriteWeb posted an article last night @ 11:46 pm: Dear CNN, Please Check Twitter for News About Iran. This morning, it’s still a “developing story” on CNN.

At the same time, it looks like CNN is fanning the flames of the protests by posting the “football match” quote as a headline. That does ring like a member of the Iran state media.

Bureaucracy may be good for government. A hierarchical structure may be good for large corporations. However, I would imagine the editorial chain of command prevented timely reporting. Maybe there was too much thought given to being “politically sensitive” to Iran. Either that, or CNN is just *that* unaware of what’s going on in the world.

Social media is an enabler for the freedom of speech and of the press. It seems that by contrast, the analysis paralysis of a large news organization is a barrier.

Also: ‘#CNNFail’: Twitterverse slams network’s Iran absence | Webware – CNET.

Updated: CNN was outscooped by 9 1/2 hours.

@BreakingNews tweet @ 9:44PM on Jun 12th:

IRAN VOTES — Iranian president Ahmadinejad wins the presidential election, the official results show

@CNNBrk (CNN Breaking News) tweet @ 7:16 AM on Jun 13th:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won country’s election with 62 percent of vote, government says.