12 Uses of Social and New Media Throughout History That Would’ve Outraged Flyers Beat Writers

Yesterday, several Flyers beat writers exhibited self-righteous indignation – on Twitter – over the team’s decision to use Instagram to announce that Steve Mason would be the Opening Night goaltender. Rob Parent of the Delco Times called it: #digitalworst. And I’m told that the legitimate anger went well beyond social media and dominated press box discussion yesterday.

So it got us thinking: If the insignificant act of naming a starting goaltender using social media got hockey beat writers all bent out of shape and defensive of the the Big J (that’s Journalism, kiddies), what other major announcements and historical events might have really rankled their feathers had new media or unconventional means been used to relay the message?

Well, let’s just be glad that the Messrs. Isaac and Parent were around for:

[you can click photos to enlarge them]

The Nixon Interviews

 

 

Simba’s Birth

 

Paul Revere’s warning

 

 

The Renaissance

 

 

Walter White’s cancer

 

 

The first American flag

 

 

Revolutionizing the phone

 

 

Andrew Bynum’s introductory press conference

 

 

A New World

 

 

The 10 Commandments

 

 

The collapse of the Soviet Union

 

 

And finally, Beatlemania

 

 

Credit fashion editor Dan Fuller with an assist on some of these and reader Andy for seeding the idea