Comments on: Journalists’ use of social media

By: Journalists’ Code of Ethics: Time for an update? « The Buttry Diary

Journalists’ Code of Ethics: Time for an update? « The Buttry Diary — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 19:43:55 +0000

[...] The Australian Broadcasting Corp.’s social media policy. [...]

By: News Organizations Work to Set Social Media Policies | jeadigitalmedia.org

News Organizations Work to Set Social Media Policies | jeadigitalmedia.org — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:51:23 +0000

[...] Journalists’ Use of Social Media – Mindy McAdams Poynter, Newsrooms Develop Social Networking Policies for Journalists on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter – Kelly McBride News Organizaitons Implement New Social Media Ethics Policies – Will Sullivan Newspaper Social Media Policies Out of Touch – JD Lasica [...]

By: Christina M

Christina M — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:52:52 +0000

I think guidelines are good but I also feel these are things journalists should already know and be aware of when they are reporting on a story.

I also think there should be guidelines for the big businesses.

I feel that journalists start out their careers ready to take on the world and uncover all the corruption the world has to offer but then something happens when you get into the real world of journalism, big businesses own the news stations, newspapers and radio stations, so then there are the people at the top of the company who do not want certain stories to leek because they could hurt the PR of their business.
So then reporters have to ask themselves the question do you follow your heart and take the story somewhere else and lose your job or do you suck it up and skip that story and move onto the next.

This is not fair to the public or the journalists. So maybe they need guidelines too!

By: Los Angeles Times shows its fear of social media « Pursuing the Complete Community Connection

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:48:34 +0000

[...] For wise policies in social media, check out NPR or the Australian Broadcasting Corp. [...]

By: Angela Connor

Angela Connor — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:31:13 +0000

I agree with the first approach. having crafted social media guidelines for a news organization, myself, what I found helpful as did the recipients were concrete examples of the desired outreach and what we’d like to see form our staff. That is another option to consider. It’s not always about what you can’t do, but what you can.

By: Case Ernsting

Case Ernsting — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:54:15 +0000

Hi Mandy,
I think the Washington Post has it right, especially with their environment of highly political readership in the DC area. The WP already has problems with coming across as too liberal, and I think transparent Twitter accounts will only further that portrayal. If I see that a WP journalist is following a high number of liberals and not many conservatives, I would carry that info with me as I read their next article.

I glanced over at Dan Gillmor’s post on the matter and had a chance to read your comment about how you think there’s no such thing as objectivity. I’d like to think journalism needs objectivity. The role of a high profile paper like the WP isn’t to tell us what to think, but to rather give us the accounts of proceedings and let us think for ourselves. Right?

By: Justin Ellis

Justin Ellis — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:19:54 +0000

The ABC deserves credit for basically saying “We know you all have common sense, but just in case, here’s the deal.”

Less is definitely more when it comes to guidelines, especially in something like new media or social media, which is still a work in progress.

By: Mindy McAdams

Mindy McAdams — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:03:05 +0000

I also like what Dan Gillmor wrote about The Post's guidelines: Washington Post, Social Networks and Transparency

By: Mindy McAdams

Mindy McAdams — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:00:07 +0000

@Desiree Perry – Thanks for the links!

By: Mindy McAdams

Mindy McAdams — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:58:33 +0000

I do not object to an organization’s making a list of guidelines for how social media may or may not be used. But treating your journalists as if they were idiots? Not a good way to go about it.