If you’re a sports fan, the thirst for information is almost unquenchable these days.

In this got-to-have-it-now society, traditional deliverers of news have changed their approach and numerous non-traditional forms of reporting have exploded on the scene. It’s a virtual smorgasbord of choices any more for the sports fan.

Forty years ago, when Watergate made headlines, a newspaper broke the news. The Washington Post, with bylines from Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, gave us the first news of a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. Reporters at every major television and radio station, and news magazines, followed.

It was a time when news cycles were defined. Morning newspapers could plug in stories up until after midnight, and the good ones even got the West Coast boxscores in the city edition. Afternoon newspapers were at a disadvantage, with deadlines shortly after noon, but they also occasionally broke stories.

Radio and television had a clear edge because either could go on the air immediately with breaking news. Magazines tended to take an approach of flushing a story out with dozens of paragraphs and supporting photos and graphics.

It has been incredible watching technology develop for reporters. When I was on the newspaper beat, we carried a typewriter, a balky telecopier to send stories back to the newsroom, and a briefcase.

Now, all you really need is a laptop and a cell phone. With those two items, stories and photos can be posted almost instantly from anywhere in the world.

Breaking news anymore is a relatively soft term because of the various avenues by which it can be delivered.

Internet and cable television changed everything. The ESPN family of stations has 24-hour coverage of sports. The Internet has exploded with thousands of websites catering to topics both wide and narrow in scope.

Newspapers that have websites almost “scoop” themselves, publishing stories on the Internet and then running them a day or two later in the printed version.

Metro Sports Report is a product of the times. Its founders believed there was a niche, online audience for sports news of the eight Metro high schools. In its second full year, MSR is on par to draw more than 1 million pageviews on its website each year.

It seems now the leader in delivering the most immediate news is Twitter. Anyone with a computer or phone can make posts almost instantly. My Twitter account always is “on" when I do The Gym Class with Scott Unash weekdays on KGYM Radio, and more than once we’ve been able to report – with credit – news that developed locally or nationally.

However, a website or Twitter account is only as effective as its subscribers or followers. A website might have some interesting information, but it takes someone to click on it in order for the information to travel.

And there are dangers, especially at social media sites.

Solid editors will require their reporters to have at least two sources to confirm a story. If you rely on Twitter or Facebook, you assume the original source of information published it rather than someone else that has hacked into an account.

Many sports news outlets have used Twitter and Facebook as a source for information, as well they should. But merely assuming the information to be true is dangerous.

What’s good is that solid and reputable news organizations can gather facts and develop a story, then not only distribute it themselves but also share it in various ways by social media.

I don’t miss my typewriter. I rather enjoy surfing around the Internet and following sports people and organizations on Twitter.

It’s a whole new world out there. I just wonder what’s next.

(Mark Dukes is former sports editor of the Cedar Rapid Gazette. He is co-host of The Gym Class radio show weekdays from 3-4 p.m. on KGYM-AM 1600 and FM-106.3.)