Ditch celebrity tweets...but what about sport?

Stephen Glover in the Independent today argues it is time newspapers ditched celebrity tweets.

He writes: "David Cameron is reportedly considering whether social media such as Twitter should be shut down during riots. I should like to propose that newspapers stop quoting the usually shallow tweets of well-known people. Last week yielded a rich crop of idiocies reverentially published by newspapers, including this one.

"Sally Bercow, wife of the Speaker, tweeted: "While I condemn riots, I do agree that there are underlying causes." The woman is a genius! Footballer Joey Barton brilliantly opined that "violence always comes from a place of misunderstanding and low zero self-worth" while a visionary Stephen Fry pronounced that "greed and looting most hurts the small shops and businesses who can least afford it".

"Wayne Rooney was also vocal on the riots, having earlier in the week self-interestedly tweeted that Manchester United's victory over Manchester City was a "footballing lesson".

"Why do newspapers reproduce this stuff? Partly because they think they have their finger on the zeitgeist, and partly because they like to publish what celebrities are thinking, even if it is utterly mundane and self-serving. We are in danger of becoming mere handmaidens to the rich and famous."

Maybe someone should tell the Indy's sport desk:

Three stories from the Independent website today: "There was a rude awakening for Joey Barton yesterday. “5.26am, was awoken by a banging sound, burglar attempting to break in to neighbours house,” the tweeting Magpies' midfielder reported.

In another Barton story: "The controversial midfielder admitted he "went down easily" following Gervinho's slap, and also engaged in some heated exchanges on Twitter, a social media platform which the FA continue to keep a close eye on.

Samir Nasri hits out at 'disrespectful fans'. "Nasri, who is suspended for tomorrow night's Champions League play-off first leg against Udinese at Emirates Stadium, used his Twitter account to hit back. He wrote: "I heard what the fans were singing about me on Saturday and it is really disrespectful because I'm still a (sic) arsenal player."