CNN announced a partnership with Twitter and Dataminr in developing a new tool that will find real-time breaking news.
The new tool, which will be called "Dataminr for News" is intended to inform media men about the concurrent hot topics on Twitter, said social analytics company Dataminr CEO Ted Bailey in a press release.
CNN Digital Managing Editor Meredith Artley added, "It is very quickly becoming an essential tool."
The new tool will scan through tweets and look for patterns that can show emerging breaking news and trending interesting features. Those alerts then can be delivered in different ways like through emails, pop-up alerts, mobile alerts, and desktop applications.
When asked how it can differentiate real news from hoaxes, he said that the tool will initially look at the first tweet information to check for accuracy. It will check on "corroborating sources on the ground" and different "initial nodes" dispersing the news. Since it cannot guarantee accuracy, journalists will come in the picture to "move up that confidence curve."
Additionally, the Dataminr for News will offer analytics data around who broke the news and its mode of spread.
However, CNN Digital general manager KC Estenson said that the cable and satellite television channel doesn't have any financial and commercial interest with Dataminr for News.
Estenson said, the companies only agreed on exclusivity and early access to the technology, but after its extensive release later this year, CNN will just be one of its customers.
"There's no such thing as permanent exclusivity ... there is such a thing as first mover advantage," said Estonson.
CNN will benefit in using the new tool because its team members have had a hand in shaping Dataminr for News and they will also get a "Human advantage going forward" because news reports the tool will get are from real people with Twitter accounts.
According to Bailey, the technology will be offered to all media men later this year for an undecided amount yet.
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