Reason #27 to set up a Twitter account for your organization: journalists are using it to research stories. The Online Marketing Blog reports on the study, which says 65% of journalists are using social media to find information about stories.

The study looked at social networks more broadly, but from my own experience, most newsrooms have at least one reporter who frequently checks Twitter for story ideas. Many of them are following local nonprofits, government agencies, and companies — and will follow up when a bit of news from the Twitter feed piques their interest.

Setting up a Twitter account is free and easy, and there’s really no excuse not to have one. If you do nothing else with Twitter, set up the account, search for your local news organizations, and start following them.