Hacker News Reader

I've definitely seen critical info communicated either only on Twitter, or first on Twitter and only much later elsewhere. Not sure if it was alerts ("chemical plant on fire, close windows") or crisis communication ("emergency water supplies being distributed at Foo street"), but it was a case of "use Twitter or suffer serious consequences".

Stuff like "public transit line 17 out of service" being announced only on Twitter is completely par for the course.

It doesn't, though; this is a myth propagated by journalists, who are Twitter addicts and are the only reason it survived Musk's initial incompetence.

Why can't someone build a twitter just for such purposes?

They do exist (e.g. Nixle) but tend to cost money (for the govt agency)

Because people won't use it.

REACH