I Follow: Andy Katz

ESPN's Andy Katz (Joe Faraoni / ESPN Images)
ESPN’s Andy Katz (Joe Faraoni/ESPN Images)

Editor’s note: I Follow is all about ESPN employees on Twitter: what they tweet, whom they follow and how you can interact socially with anyone and everyone.

Andy Katz has been a fixture in ESPN’s college basketball coverage for more than 13 years — that includes a life of reporting before and after Twitter.

We caught up with him on the occasion of his new show, Katz Korner, debuting today (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU) to talk about how Twitter has affected his job and what role it will play on the program.

Twitter handle: @ESPNAndyKatz
Following: 278
Followers: 233,156
*As of Jan. 15, 2013

How has Twitter changed the way you do your job?
Twitter has added another layer. I originally went kicking and screaming to Twitter, because I have always been a firm believer that we work for the company that pays us. Twitter doesn’t pay our salary, benefits or anything else. That’s why I didn’t believe news should be broken on Twitter without a link to your site or it appearing in some form on your network.

I still believe the full story should be on your employer’s site and I always check with the news desk first to make sure it’s OK to Tweet [breaking news]. I still believe that’s the way we need to operate. I’d rather be careful and have the news vetted with our news editing staff than go rogue just to be first. I will say that Twitter has also allowed me to engage with fans more so than at any point in my career.

How do you plan to use Twitter in your new show on ESPNU, Katz Korner?
We’ve been using Twitter on our ESPNU college basketball podcast by taking questions. I’d like to do the same and get the pulse of the public on various topics.

How do you determine whether to follow someone on Twitter?
I follow a number of colleagues and competitors as well as many coaches and relevant beat writers as possible. I’m also a political junkie and follow nearly as many political reporters.

Do you have a favorite follow?
That’s a tough call. I look forward to hearing what Chuck Todd (@ChuckTodd), Luke Russert (@LukeRussert) and Howard Kurtz (@HowardKurtz) have to say on a daily basis. I follow a number of my ESPN colleagues in various sports, too. Hard to pick one.

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