This is remarkable: The family of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy has created a Twitter account to provide updates about the public viewing, memorial service, funeral and other bits of information to honor the “Lion of the Senate.” See www.twitter.com/kennedynews. (Note: This is in addition to the impressive website with information about funeral arrangements and personal and professional accomplishments.)
I’ve a feeling we’re not in Camelot anymore, eh? Times have certainly changed since the days when the country collectively huddled around their black-and-white televisions in the days following JFK’s assassination.
Since Sen. Kennedy’s death, we’ve seen round-the-clock new coverage on every cable station, front-page stories in all the major papers and countless blog posts honoring his legacy. That’s all pretty standard after a major public figure dies. But, times have changed. Twitter is major information-sharing tool. As a result, the Kennedys don’t have to rely on the media to disseminate the facts and share the story. In true Kennedy fashion, they found their own way to connect with the public.
I don’t know who is actually updating the account, but the 140-character messages are heartbreaking, poignant and riveting:
Mrs. Kennedy said people outside kept saying “thank you for opening this up to the public and for letting us say ‘bye’ to him too.
Matt Kennedy just spoke with a family that drove from Charleston, SC, and another from the Bronx just to be there to pay their respects.
Senator’s grandson Ted III, Caroline Kennedy and Robert F Kennedy Jr have walked outside and down the line to thank people for coming.
Sitting vigil 8-9 pm, Alma, Brian, Elizabeth, Rebecca Hart (family of late Pfc John Hart, who tgthr fought for more body armor for troops)
This is the official account of the Kennedy family and staff. Will be used for info about memorial and funeral activities.
In the past few days, I’ve heard all these amazing stories about the kind of person Sen. Kennedy was in real life — not just the partisan liberal you saw on TV — which makes me respect him even more and feel that much sadder for this loss. I, for one, am thankful that the Kennedys are taking it upon themselves to share the behind-the-scenes insights with the millions and millions of people who are mourning along with them. How about you? Do you think this is a good idea? Will we see more Twitter accounts like this to share behind the scenes insights during tragic situations? What do you think the Kennedys will do with this account going forward?