Note: We've asked NPR journalists to share their top five (or so) political Twitter accounts, and we're featuring the series on #FollowFriday. Here are recommendations from Erica Ryan (@ericalryan), a digital editor with NPR's elections unit.
I'll admit it: I didn't like Twitter at first. I found the echo chamber effect off-putting and the sheer volume of content a bit overwhelming.
But I stuck with it, and while I'm still far from an expert, I've found plenty of political observers worth coming back for. Some of my top picks:
Amy Walter (@amyewalter): The political director of ABC News emerged as one my favorite people to follow during the GOP debates. I find her tweets to be a great combination of funny and no-nonsense.
Shira Toeplitz (@shiratoeplitz): Covering politics for Roll Call, Toeplitz has lots to say about hot House and Senate races — and she also once solicited haikus to commemorate the end of Ohio Democrat Dennis Kucinich's time in the House. (Her top pick? @trevorfoughty with: "Leaving Congress now," / said Kucinich wearily, / "It's the (olive) pits.")
Josh Putnam (@FHQ): If you really want to be nerdy about politics (and who doesn't?), Putnam, who runs the blog Frontloading HQ, is your guy. He's been tracking the crazy rules of GOP delegate math in detail — and somehow manages to do it in 140 characters as well.
Jeff Greenfield (@greenfield64): The longtime political watcher, a host of PBS's Need To Know, seems to say the things that everyone is thinking. Recent tweet: "Tough choice: 1. Spend 5 months watching partisans tout polls that favor their guy, shun polls that don't; 2. pound nails into skull."
Kyle Kondik (@kkondik): Full disclosure: Kyle and I are friends off Twitter. But since such a large percentage of the people I follow are the direct result of his replies and retweets, I can't help but include him. An analyst and House editor at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, he peers into the Crystal Ball alongside his boss, Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) — one of the most quoted political analysts around.
If you want even more recommendations, see past picks from NPR's Neal Carruth, Arnie Seipel, Andrea Seabrook and Ari Shapiro.
Follow our recommendations so far, and get future picks, here:https://twitter.com/#!/nprpolitics/the-npr-twitterati
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