Do journalists need social media?

We all know that social media is challenging and redefining traditional journalistic standards. When it comes to facebook and twitter people are now using these sites as a way of presenting news as it is happening. With twitter having the famous 140 character limit, it means that only the essential, most important information is presented on the site immediately and the reader then has to go on to pursue the story further.

Suellen Tapsall (2006) editor of Journalism Theory in Practice explains how the aid of social networking in journalism is rarely compared to print as being on an equal level; they are usually compared against one another as being either positive or negative, and are rarely associated as mutually aiding each other. I think it’s fair to argue that social media, when used appropriately, can definitely aid journalists in sourcing stories.

According to Garbiele Levy (2010) journalists are embracing social media as a new journalistic tool and rather than being threatened by it, they are now using it on a day to day basis. “Social media, rather than heralded as the destructor of journalism and journalistic integrity, has finally begun to play a substantial role in the daily activities of journalists” (Levy 2010).

“The academics who study journalism and working journalists, almost uniformly agree that the changes occurring within the news media industry are both overwhelming and an enormous opportunity for innovation and reinvention” (Levy, 2010).

The following YouTube video highlights how journalists are now utilising social media in the news gather and disseminating process and they even suggest that Twitter is now sometimes replacing media releases and it is being used as a promotional point for journalists to link to stories on news websites.  

Online journalism is about immediacy and having a 24 hour service and social media can provide this information fast and easily. Social media is gaining acceptance as a way to source stories and other information as it now fits into the stages of news production in access/observation and distribution. Around 40% of news organisations are using social media to source stories (MEAA, 2010).

 “Twitter changed its opening question, ‘what are you doing’ to a different more immediate question ‘what is happening’? In 2009 to accommodate its growing relevance to breaking news“ (Cross, 2011 p.60). So basically day to day tweets tell us what is happening and the journalist’s role is then to conduct further research and verification to tell us what this means.

“In many cases, information initially coming to our attention via Twitter will serve simply as a tip, allowing us to check out and report the information ourselves in the regular way, quoting more solid sources” (Reuters, 2009).

Facebook provides 500 million possible sources of stories, but when it comes to sourcing stories from social media sites how much can we really trust these sources as being reliable?

When it comes to sourcing online it can be hard to distinguish between truth, rumour and outright lies, so how trustworthy are stories that break on facebook or twitter?

“The biggest issue with social media is verification” (Possetti, 2011). Check facts before publishing is not adhered to on social media sites, so credibility becomes hard to find.

Even during the recent London riots a journalist re-tweeted this photo above of an apparent escaped tiger that was actually an image of a circus tiger that escaped in Italy in 2008, so checking the facts and verifying them is essential for journalists sourcing stories from social media sites.  

The role of social media is not to be factual or truthful. After all it is SOCIAL media, it’s simply another form of conversation and we can't expect every single tweeter or blogger to adhere to ethical journalistic practice, because they don’t have to. But as journalists we do!

Social media is merely a starting point in the news gathering process and verification is imperative.

“Most blogs, iReports and social media sources should be considered potentially no more reliable than a tabloid newspaper running stories of UFO sightings” (Torres, 2011).

But one question that still remains essential to the use of social media in journalism is whether journalists could cover news in areas that are cut off from the media without social media? Do we rely on social media in times of crisis?

References:

Levy, G.  (2010). Social Media and Journalism: How the Internet and Social Networking has Changed Journalism’s Workflow. Viewed 31 August, 2011   http://repository01.lib.tufts.edu:8080/fedora/get/tufts:UA005.005.065.00001/bdef:TuftsPDF/getPDF

Press Club of Long Island. (May 1, 2009). Twitter, Facebook and Why Social Media Matters [Video file] retrieved 31 August, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34cdYF0w08s&feature=related

Tapsall, S & Varley, C (2006). Journalism: Theory in Practice. Oxford University Press: South Melbourne

Cross, M. (2011). Bloggerati, Twitterati: How Blogs and Twitter are Transforming Popular Culture. ABC-CLIO: California

Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance. (2010). Life in the Clickstream II: The Future of Journalism, viewed 31 August 2011, http://www.thefutureofjournalism.org.au/foj_report_vii.pdf

Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance. (2008). Life in the Clickstream: The Future of Journalism, viewed 31 August 2011, http://www.alliance.org.au/documents/foj_report_final.pdf

Reuters. (2011). Handbook of Journalism – Reporting From the Internet, viewed 31 August 2011, http://handbook.reuters.com/index.php/Reporting_from_the_internet

Posetti, J 2011, ‘BBC Social Media Summit Fixates on Creating Open Media’, MediaShift, viewed August 31, 2011, http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2011/06/bbc-social-media-summit-fixates-on-creating-open-media158.html

Torres, T. (2011). ‘What Role will Develop in Social Media to Replace Traditional Editors?’ Soshable, viewed August 31, 2011, http://soshable.com/what-role-will-develop-in-social-media-to-replace-traditional-editors/

Quality vs. Quantity

In the face paced, immediate, technology driven  media we see today is there still a need for quality journalism or have we seen the industry change that dramatically that quantity and immediacy are more important than quality in journalism.

Some people believe that with the continual decrease in newspaper’s and the rapid increase of online news, quality journalism is dying alongside newspapers. Martin Flanagan (2008) expressed his ideas on the need for quality journalism by stating “Newspapers can build community, while the net promotes individuality” (Flanagan, 2008).

Although the internet is having a massive impact on the journalism industry doesn’t mean that media organisations can’t continue to produce quality content, they just need to embrace technology and utilise cross media platforms to produce quality content to place where the larger audience now exist.

Quality and quantity cannot be mutually exclusive, but they can come one after another and that way both quantity and quality are available to fulfill the wants and needs of the audience.

But as Stilgherrian (2009) states “quality journalism, especially investigative journalism, is expensive. While one of its traditional Australian homes, public broadcasters ABC and SBS, seems safe for now, what about its other home, quality newspapers? Are newspapers doomed? If so, who pays for journalism then?” (Stilgherrian, 2009).

Rupert Murdoch made an attempt to solve the problem by suggesting pay walls; Murdoch stated “Quality journalism is not cheap. The digital revolution has opened many new and inexpensive distribution channels but it has not made content free” (Clark, 2009).

If online content isn’t free, then who is paying for it now? Advertisers of course, but journalists are too! A huge amount of journalists are now working more hours, across numerous media platforms, producing content on a crazy amount of stories each day, for no extra pay. They are doing this simply to keep up with the demand for instant news. As the demand for immediacy becomes stronger and stronger and the number of professional journalists in jobs lowers, it is becoming near impossible for journalists to find the extra time to produce quality content.

The following YouTube video highlights the power the internet has provided to the audience in sourcing news. We can get new when we want it, how we want it and we can choose the content we want specifically. So more and more news organisations are catering to immediacy by trying to be the first organisation to publish that content, instead of trying to be the organisation that publishes the most quality content. Immediacy is having a huge impact on quality and the ability for journalists to produce quality content.

What will the future hold for quality journalism? Some say the internet provides the opportunity for the rebirth of quality journalism, others argue that the internet is causing the disappearance of it. No matter what the future holds, I argue that quality journalism is important and we need it, so it is our jobs as journalists to continue to produce content that is our best quality.

References:

Clark, A. (2009). Rupert Murdoch plans charge for all news websites by next summer. Retrieved August 24, 2011 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/aug/06/rupert-murdoch-website-charges

Flanagan, M. (2008). Quality Journalism: the need only grows. Retrieved August 24, 2011 from http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/quality-journalism-the-need-only-grows-20080912-4fkk.html

Gykvideos. (2010). Pat on the Immediacy of Modern Media: [Video file]. Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGfhqrVzOiY

Stilgherrian. (2009). The future of “quality” journalism: lots of questions, few answers. Retrieved August 24, 2011 from http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/04/06/the-future-of-%E2%80%9Cquality%E2%80%9D-journalism-lots-of-questions-few-answers/

Citizen and/or Journalist?

It seems almost impossible to define the role of the citizen in journalism in the 21^st century. With the mix of things like technology, social media and so-called citizen journalism, the role of the citizen in the public conversation has no limitations.

With the rise of technology in recent times we have seen citizens using such technology like mobile phones to record footage of some of the most important moments in history. Here are just some of those moments.

So is this citizen journalism? Just because someone was in the right place at the right time and they record video footage of a historical event and post it on YouTube, does that automatically make them a ‘citizen journalist’?

Define journalist?

“A journalist collects and disseminates information about current events, people, trends, and issues. His or her work is acknowledged as journalism. Journalism is the profession of reporting or photographing or editing news stories for one of the media” (Princeton University, 2011).

The traditional news media’s position as the primary provider of information is being challenged because the ease of publishing content online has increased the number of people producing content. Controversy exists because it is assumed that some citizen journalists produce content without traditional journalistic values in mind (Rosenberry & Burton, 2010 p.68). This begs the question of credibility? And also accountability? How credible are citizen journalists? Are they accountable in regards to ethical practices? And are online citizen journalists producing “quality” news?

If ‘citizen journalists’ are not utilising journalistic practice, then is it wrong to label them as journalists, when really they are simply just citizen’s getting involved in the public conversation?

This is all a result of the power of technology as Gillmor (2008) states “The Internet is the most important medium since the printing press. It subsumes all that has come before and is, in the most fundamental way, transformative. When anyone can be a writer, in the largest sense and for a global audience, many of us will be” (Gillmor, 2008 p.236).

Oh Yeon Ho creator of OhMyNews states that “Every citizen’s a reporter, Journalists aren’t some exotic species, they’re everyone who seeks to take new developments, put them into writing, and share them with others (Gillmor, 2008 p.110).”

So what is happening here?

In an emerging era of multidirectional, digital communications, the audience can be an integral part of the process—and it’s becoming clear that they must be. Gillmor (2008) explains that “it boils down to something simple: readers or viewers or listeners collectively know more than media professionals do. This is true by definition: they are many viewers or listeners, and we as journalists are often just one. We need to recognize and, in the best sense of the word, use their knowledge. If we don’t, our former audience will bolt when they realize they don’t have to settle for half-baked coverage; they can come into the kitchen themselves” (Gillmor, 2008 p.111).

It seems only obvious that more and more, journalism is going to be owned by the audience.

Is the role of the citizen in the public conversation in the 21^st century become a role in which the citizen is to inform others? Or even a role in which citizens can use their technological power and combined knowledge to help journalists produce better, if not the best possible content.

How important is the use of citizen journalism to the public conversation?

Gillmor (2008) highlights the importance of citizen journalism by explaining that On December 10, 2003, thousands of Iraqis marched on the streets of Baghdad to protest bombings by insurgents. The New York Times and other major media outlets missed the march and its significance. But some local bloggers did not (Gillmor, 2008 p.136). It turned out that blogs became the best way to get the news about an important event. This example would highlight that at certain times

“Is citizen journalism – blogging, open-source newsgathering, wikis and informational “mash-ups” transforming the nature of news? Many observers believe so. Carr (2007) refers to open-source journalism as nothing short of a “revolution” in newsgathering. Lemann (2006) wonders if citizen journalists aren’t in the process of “stripping away” the possibility of professional journalism entirely. Bowman and Willis summarize the prevailing wisdom: the “profession of journalism finds itself at a rare moment in history when, for the first time, its hegemony as a gatekeeper of news is threatened by not just new technologies and competitors but, potentially, the audience it serves”” (Rosenberry & Burton, 2010 p.32).

How does this affect the public conversation in the 21^st century? What impact is it having on the future of journalism? And can we actually define the role of the citizen in journalism and the public conversation in the 21^st century? I’m going to go with no!

References:

Audiencereports. (2011, June 13). A Short History of Citizen Journalism: [Video file]. Video Posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_FsY6ksDzk

Fenton, N. (2009). New Media, Old News: Journalism and Democracy in the Digital Age. London :Sage.

Gillmor, D. (2008). We The Media. Retrieved from http://0-www.newcastle.eblib.com.library.newcastle.edu.au/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=443318

Princeton University. (2011). WordNet. Retrieved from http://wordnet.princeton.edu/

Rosenberry, J. & Burton, J. (2010). Public Journalism 2.0. New York: Routledge.

Who is a Journalist?

The answer to this question is much harder and more complex then I first thought.

In the 21^st century Journalism has changed and continues to change dramatically, technology has shifted and redefined the boundaries of journalism with the impact of social media and the use of media convergence.

Ray Greenslade has been quoted saying “While journalism does indeed matter, journalists don’t” however, Greenslade also said “proper journalism is worth fighting for”.

So shouldn’t journalists matter if proper journalism is worth fighting for or are good journalists simply expendable?

Some of the core skills required of a journalist today include:

·         Reseraching

·         Interviewing

·         Gathering information

·         Using appropriate language

·         Using appropriate technology

·         Crossing media platforms

·         Recognising a good story

·         Interpreting meaning

·         Disseminating information accordingly

·         Understanding the audience

·         Meeting limits and deadlines

·         Committing to accuracy, fairness and ethics

This is what a journalist does, not what their role is. So what is the role of a journalist? This is perhaps the question that should be asked.

Tom Rosenstiel told reporter.net “The role of the journalist is changing in an age where the old metaphor of gate-keeping no longer applies. This is pretty obvious. More interesting is a discussion of the new roles for journalists” (Reportr.net, 2008).

Rosenstiel outlined four potential roles:

• Authenticator: Help the audience figure out what to believe, what can they trust
• Sense-maker: Help the audience derive meaning from what is happening in the world
• Navigator: Help the audience find their way around a story, point them to the “good stuff”
• Forum-leader: Help the audience engage in a discussion in a knowledgeable way

                                                                                               (Reportr.net, 2008)

“Journalists should be doing some of these things anyway, such as authenticating facts. And making sense is a key role of the journalist. A story without meaning is worthless” (Reportr.net, 2008).

Journalists in this modern era are also required to use cross media platforms and convergence, where a journalist needs to encompass that ability to record and edit both voice and image, create video footage and produce and upload such media aspects to online news sites, forums, social media sites etc. To read more go to http://www.reportr.net/2008/02/19/the-new-roles-for-journalists-in-a-multimedia-world/

Social media and the surfacing of citizen journalism have seen those who had no power before, now influencing the news agenda. What does this say for the future of journalism?

This youtube video shows the power and potential power of citizen journalism in the media.

Who is a journalist? Are we all journalists? If so are we all credible? What does the future hold for journalism?

For this, I have no answer!

References:

DigitalJournal. (2008, December 24). Exploring the Power of Citizen Journalism: [Video file]. Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq-KF177mqA

Reportr.net. (2008). The New Roles For Journalists in a Multimedia World. Retrieved from http://www.reportr.net/2008/02/19/the-new-roles-for-journalists-in-a-multimedia-world/