How to Use Twitter to Follow the News

When big events happen, I open Twitter.

If you're new to Twitter or haven't used it in years, I recommend this approach.

1. Create an account. Or login to an existing account.

2. For new users, Twitter will prompt you to follow familiar news media accounts. Avoid them. It may seem counterintuitive, but they will flood your feed with everything on their website.

3. Avoid your favorite news talk show hosts. The accounts like Tucker Carlson and Rachel Maddow behave like advertising-driven accounts. In fact, don't follow anyone at first.

4. You want to be more in control of what you see vs. what others, including the Twitter algorithm, want you to see. First step: look over the shoulder of a few more experienced users by using lists.

Use Twitter Lists

Lists are curated collections of individual Twitter accounts. They tend to be thematic (startups, gardening, etc.) or topical (Ukraine, political topic). There’s a hidden benefit: you see what Twitter traffic looks like on a single topic.

For Ukraine, here are two lists to follow.

"Ukraine" - Daniel Dale's Account List - mostly traditional journalists, many of whom are in Ukraine. Much of what they tweet about will never make it on air or in print due to space and time limitations.

"War" - Naval's Ukraine Account List - Russian analysts past and present, security consultants, and specialists. This will have a raw feel to it. It will include more theories and speculation.

If something isn’t clear, send me an email: michael@sklarinterests dot com.