Twitter was publicly launched 20 years ago, on July 15, 2006. For many journalists, including Al Jazeera correspondent Ali Hashem, the platform became an essential tool.

Hashem recalls a colleague at the BBC saying: "It's like having your own breaking news platform, you'll set your own agenda." He quickly signed up, and Twitter shaped his future.

The first defining moment was Iran's Green Revolution in 2009, where the platform shaped discourse differently from traditional media.

During the Libyan revolution in 2011, Hashem was in Sallum, Egypt, without internet. He dictated text via satellite phone to a colleague in Cairo, who posted it on Twitter.

Trips to Libya, Egypt, Syria, and Somalia made Twitter integral to his journalism. He also wrote for international outlets like Al-Monitor and The Sunday Times.

In 2013, he became bureau chief in Tehran, specializing in Iran. Twitter expanded his network, and he broke news from Iran's nuclear talks before news agencies.

In January 2020, he was among the first to report the US airstrike that killed Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis near Baghdad airport.

Twitter also became a place for personal memories. On the 100th anniversary of WWI, he told his grandfather's story, and colleagues in Palestine searched for his family's village.

When Elon Musk renamed Twitter to X in 2023, Hashem tweeted: "Someone buy Twitter and save the bird." No one did, and the blue bird disappeared.

Source: www.aljazeera.com