Social Media is changing the way traditional media (print, TV, radio) journalists go about their jobs. In the “race to be first” on a story, information is now virtually everywhere. But, who’s posting it? Can it be verified? Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc. has given rise to the era of “citizen journalists.” Social media sites are great places for journalists to get story ideas, leads, etc., but it’s still up to the reporter to put in the research and the work to tell a story. Social media is also a platform for the reporter to promote his or her work, to interact with newsmakers, and to create conversation. News organizations do have or are developing guidelines for employees social media use, but they still vary depending on the company. It used to be reporters would break a story on the 6pm News or in the morning newspaper. They’d hold onto their exclusive reporting until the deadline, but social media has led reporters to break news on Twitter, etc. instead of guarding their story info until that time. It’s an ever developing world that we in the journalism field hope and need to understand going forward.
THE AC301 