The website of The Irish Times, ireland.com, has started a breaking news service to provide up-to-the-minute news. Irish and international news, sports, business and technology news are updated from 6.30 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.
Users also have the opportunity to take part in daily online straw polls on topical issues and air their opinions on them. The service, launched last week, is proving popular, with more than 1,000 people voting each day on issues ranging from the situation in Northern Ireland to the relative merits of making all tobacco products illegal.
The development of the new site is a recognition of the capabilities of online publishing, offering as it does the opportunity to react to breaking news events with a degree of speed and flexibility unavailable to other media.
There are plans to exploit further the potential of the medium over the coming months, incorporating more audio and visual elements into the news reports.
Ms Deirdre Veldon, editor of ireland.com, said it was "a significant move in electronic publishing in Ireland" and indicated ireland.com's intention of reinforcing its position as market leader.
"The value of providing people with accurate and detailed news as quickly as possible is becoming increasingly obvious," she said. "ireland.com has consistently led the way in terms of providing users with high-quality information and this development is an indication of our commitment to continue giving visitors an enhanced range of services and products."
