Journalists are the face and image for whatever news company they work for. We are the ones the public see when we are covering stories, we are the byline that graces the pages of a newspaper and often times in a community, our names are associated with that particular establishment. For instance, not only are we, Megan and Kelly, professional journalists and tech-rookie-soon-to-be-aficionados, we are reporters for The Morning Journal in Lorain, Ohio.
We have the obligation to be professional in nearly every aspect of our life because we are who the public looks to for information. Now, with the rising emergence of social media and the Internet as a popular tool and platform, not only have we had to maintain our cool and professionalism IRL (internet vocab for “in real life,” see, aficionados, we know web slang) but we have to follow a standard code of conduct on social media sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare or whatever else we are using.
The problem: Most newspapers or news organizations do not have a clear code of conduct or rules regarding how they should and should not be acting on social media platforms. Steve Buttry, director of community engagement at TBD, does a great job here of breaking down the Society of Professional Journalist’s code of conduct and adding in where they can be altered to encompass social media.
Buttry cites examples of linking stories to the web, if you have a document then the document should be scanned for the public to see, Twitter users and sources should still be credible and so on. Not only does this provide more information for the public, but it also allows for transparency in news reporting — which is becoming increasingly important as new technologies are emerging and people are becoming more and more critical of the “liberal news media.”
But what about Facebook statuses? Links? Twitter updates? Friend requests? Page likes? Requests to follow and so on? How personal and relateable is too personal and relatable?
- Facebook and Twitter profile pictures should be clean-cut, show who you are and not show much skin. So basically, excess
cleavage is a no-no. Wear what you would wear to work. - Facebook status updates should be conversational, but not to the extent where you are talking to your friend on the street. They should also include a question to encourage user engagement and a web address or bit.ly to drive the reader to your webpage for more information. Also, try to avoid close-ended questions. If you want interaction, a close-ended question will kill it. However, when you ask the question, don’t try to sound slanted either.
Bad: (Insert name here) is at the (insert location here) so get your butts there if you want to see him/her.
Good: (Insert name here) is at (insert location, with address, here.) Are you going? Tell us what you think. (insert link to website here)
Bad: Can you believe (this city) is thinking about buying five new fire trucks? Do you think this is a waste of money? Why?
Good: (This city) will discuss purchasing five new fire trucks at tonight’s meeting. Do you think this will benefit the city or should the money be spent some other way? - A reporter should always identify themselves as a reporter with the news organization in the bio of their page. They should also identify themselves when they first ask a question directly to a source on Twitter or Facebook.
- We have recently understood the concept of using disclaimers in Facebook and Twitter.
Example: “Full disclosure: As a reporter, I may become a fan of a group or befriend a person or organization to gather news and information. This is not meant to be construed as an endorsement.” - The Washington Post told their reporters not to engage on Twitter — what they said was, in a nutshell, that even though they encourage the use of social media, the branded Twitter account is not to be used to bash or respond to criticism. We believe that to be absolutely true, however, there are some situations in which sometimes a response is necessary.
Bad: If readers have in their head some idea of how something went down and the reporter corrects them with their own personal opinion or view.
Good: If a reader asks a question and that question has been answered in a story or a previously reported story, the reporter can point this out with a link to the story. This not only clarifies the question, but draws web traffic and chances are if one reader wants to know, there are more out there.
Is your newsroom doing something to address how reporters should or should not behave on social media or the internet? Let us know via Twitter, Facebook or e-mail newsiesinthefield@gmail.com
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