Boston Shootings. Twitter bringing in the news. Nobody can compete wih this.

Fairly extraordinary stuff going on in Boston as Police hunt a suspect in the Boston Bombings. One has already been shot, so too a Police Officer and one is on the loose.

What's also extraordinary (and thanks to Mashable) is the tweets and pictures that are coming from the scene.

Here is the page  http://mashable.com/2013/04/19/live-tweets-from-massive-police-standoff-in-watertown/

If ever you wanted to see Social Media in action for news, literally as it happens, this is it.

Extraordinary. 

No news organisation can compete with this amount of content simply because, every citizen with a smartphone is a journalist and they're all on scene.

YouTube open special news page for video of Boston explosions.

Following yesterday's explosions in Boston, YouTube have opened a page where they've brought together all the video into one place. It's here;

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbpi6ZahtOH5T_nrvCoHfnYWbW1shGYYv

There's no doubt, watching an event unfold like this live last night, how Social Media is now fulfilling the news role. 

Twitter going out live from the scene with pictures (although some of them cruelly unedited) and YouTube video being posted. 

All well ahead of traditional news organisations.

I understand an 8 year old was one of those killed, waiting for his mum and dad to finish the run, both of whom survived. I too have an 8 year old son and it's impossible to understand the tragedy of those parents as they set about running a marathon on a sunny bank holiday Monday. God be with them.