Robert Gibbs’ Twitter Tell-All

It was almost a year ago that I sat in the briefing room and listened to a senior White House correspondent predict that Twitter would soon die out, replaced by resurgent print magazines. A mere 11 months later, White House reporters’ Twitter use has reached such a critical mass that Robert Gibbs was forced to join, and now it’s all we talk about.

At today’s briefing, Gibbs explained why he joined Twitter, and clarified exactly which tweets will be preserved for future generations.

The tweeting habits of White House reporters seem to have piqued Gibbs’  interest, and he cites them again as a big reason for joining. It’s a wise move on his part. Twitter’s power isn’t just in its reach (Jake Tapper reaches astronomically more people in a TV spot than with his tweets), but in who is being reached. The Twitter audience is highly engaged, and by virtue of the many media figures who use the service, highly influential, too.

The Press Secretary demonstrated the value of joining that conversation earlier today, as he offered some pushback on CBS News über-tweeter Mark Knoller. Here’s what Knoller said:

The WH wants the Recovery Act to be seen as a success, saying it supported jobs for over 2million & helped dig GDP out of neg growth. about 7 hours ago from web

Gibbs showed his re-tweeting skills by shortening Knoller’s tweet in order to fit his response:

RT @markknoller: WH wants the Recov Act 2 B a success-supported 2mil+ jobs, dug GDP out of neg growth // REASON – that’s EXACTLY what it DID about 7 hours ago from web

Most White House reporting occurs in formats that don’t allow this kind of immediate response, but on Twitter, it’s easier for Gibbs to shape or refute how the administration’s message is spun.

Gibbs also explained that only his tweets and tweets sent directly to him would be archived under the Presidential Records Act. Although he didn’t get into the jargon, I take this to include @replies, as well as DMs. So, if you want alien archaeologists from the 26th century to laugh at your #sappyporn jokes, make sure you tweet them in reply to Gibbs.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.