To tweet or not to tweet

By Wesley Lowery
wl372808@ohio.edu

For the last few years "social media" has been one of the most used and highly discussed media buzzwords. And while many outlets have started to establish social media policies, many are still debating just how reporters should use social media in thier reporting and in their personal life.

As I looked over the reading for today's class, I noticed two distinct mindsets. Some outlets want reporters to be constantly tweeting in order to provide up-to-the-minute updates, while other outlets only want reporters to use social media to distribute headlines and drive wire content.

I've seen these two attitudes at some of the papers where I've interned.

At the Columbus Dispatch, we were often encouraged to tweet updates on stories throughout the day. Some reporters, such as senior/investigative reporter Randy Ludlow use Twitter and Facebook to distribute articles and updates constantly.

Other papers and news services, including my summer employer The Wall Street Journal, encourage the usage of social media but also stress that it's important to not offer free information on social media that would typically be guarded behind the site's paywall.

Many newswires and pay-to-view media outlets — including Bloomberg News, Dow Jones Newswires and the Associated Press have similar guidelines,

Here is an excerpt from the revised social media guidelines released by Bloomberg earlier this year:

"We should not share work in progress or use social media as a vehicle for breaking news"

This is the one instance in which I both understand the policy of the wire service but personally practice a different policy. For most of my work at The Post, The Columbus Dispatch and The Detroit News, I used my personal twitter feed to break news and update stories throughout the day.

And while many newswires would only be cheapening their services if they used social media for breaking and developing news, I think most outlets need to embrace social media as the best way to reach their audience as quickly as possible.

This has become increasingly evident as social reform and citizen-led protests have captivated the U.S. as they take place in various countries overseas. Without Twitter and Facebook, these protests may never have happened and the media may never have known about them.

Here's one CNN analyst's take on the role of social media in covering international protests.
International news



I agree with the analyst. Social media is just another tool in a journalist's toolbox. News outlets need to take advantage of it or risk being passed up by competitors.