As we all know, hash tags on Twitter can be a great way of getting a subject trending and gaining exposure. It also seems they can be used just as effectively to dampen public hysteria and put the record straight in the world of news broadcasting.

During Thanksgiving week in the States, stricter than usual TSA security checks and the balance between safety and personal privacy was turning into the big news story. As can be the case with social media reporting, the severity of these checks were the cause of a lot of guess work and speculation. Because of this, no one knew if planned protests, known as National Opt Out Day, would leave the air travel network in a state of chaos. Widespread speculation ensued and the situation teetered on a knife edge.

The PBS NewsHour team wanted to be at the forefront of the story but, unsure how the news story would pan out they decided to use a bit of Crowdsourcing know-how to enable the public to relate the real facts of their airport security experience and use those reports to build their story.

The #TSATime hashtag was born on Twitter.

Knowing that the public would report their experiences on social networks like Twitter, the NewsHour team used the #TSATime tag as means of collecting all relevant information and providing a definitive report on the story. They asked travellers to use the #TSATime hashtag on Twitter, also stating the three-letter airport code where their travel began, as below:

How long did it take you to get through security? Tweet w/ #TSATime and 3 letter airport code http://to.pbs.org/TSAT

By choosing such a straightforward question, the NewsHour team were able to track and relay the collected data easily and efficiently, without getting bogged down in opinion. This meant fact-based reporting in an otherwise confusing situation. Good reporting indeed.

Crowdsourcing used in conjunction with social media platforms like Twitter is a great way of gaining quick and efficient data on a subject. Just make sure you keep your line of questioning short, sharp and to the point!