Four years ago, then-Senator Barack Obama tried a similar tactic, announcing his VP pick with text message, and that announcement was scooped too.

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When Sony wants to make an announcement, they need only post a message to their Twitter feed, Facebook page, or their own blog.

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He praised the Arriva Trains Wales staff for their "excellent work" and thanked them for allowing him to briefly use the station announcement system to draw attention to his message.

BBC: Wales politics

Ah, those were the days: when it was such a big deal to get an e-mail message that you wanted to be alerted by a special announcement.

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That might explain why the head of al-Nusra, Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, claimed in an audio message released on Wednesday that he wasn't "consulted" on the announcement of the merger of the Syrian and Iraqi wings of al Qaeda.

CNN: Syria rebel group's dangerous tie to al Qaeda

In a message communicated by Kurdish politicians who visited him, he said he would make the announcement to coincide with Kurdish New Year celebrations.

BBC: Turkey Kurds: PKK chief Ocalan to make 'historic' call

In a message communicated by Kurdish politicians, Mr Ocalan said he would make a "historic" announcement on Thursday, to coincide with Kurdish New Year celebrations.

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