If there’s any group that has embraced Twitter more than the business community, it’s the news media.  In fact, all of their talk about Twitter is certainly one of the reasons for the service’s astronomic growth.  So, we know journalists love to talk about Twitter, but how do they actually USE it?

On air uses for Twitter:

• Taking questions from viewers/listeners
• Soliciting feedback on a specific topic
• Mashable noted all the way back in September of 2008 how CNN was one of the first to really harness the power of Twitter.

Twitter for fan relations:

• My good friend Natali Del Conte is a senior editor for CNET and she keeps her fans in the loop with expert use of her Twitter Stream.
• She asks questions, runs contests and gives people a glimpse into her life and her thoughts (in addition to providing links to her stories).  She’s developed a legion of hard-core fans, so she’s definitely doing Twitter right.

Twitter is great for breaking news:

• When news is breaking, you want to know the details now.  Twitter is the real-time king so it’s the perfect way for journalists to get the word out fast.  SFgate (The San Francisco Chronicle’s online version) even has its Twitter stream embedded in the homepage.

Twitter and for sports news:

• Real-time results, play-by-plays and smack talk can all be accomplished on Twitter.
• The folks at @ESPN_tenis (TweetFunnel users) broadcast Spanish-language tweets from many members of their team on all things tennis.

Driving traffic with Twitter and a virtual news room:

• TechCrunch means traffic for the companies it profiles, but how does TechCrunch drive traffic to its site?  One way is Twitter.  The official TechCrunch account is a feed of their most recent articles from all of their staff.  And with over 1 million followers, I bet they get a lot of click-thrus.
• Note of caution: You have to be a pretty big name in journalism to get 1 million followers on an automated feed.  If you’re a smaller fish, try mixing in some engagement.