The internet, and specifically social media, has completely transformed the way we interact with each other and obtain our information. Sites such as Facebook give us the ability to keep in touch with and meet people from all over the globe, while sites such as Twitter give us updates on the latest news like never before. The internet gives people a chance to brand and market themselves in unprecedented ways, as well as the ability to share their voice with others.
Before the internet and social media, the news we absorbed was available through limited channels, like the newspaper, radio, or television news. The news and the information presented to the public was controlled by an elite group of news organizations and their journalists, and the government. This is certainly not the case today, as the internet allows anyone and everyone to post or share whatever they please. Forbes reports that there are 2.4 billion people who use the internet, and almost 65% of people receive their breaking news from sites like Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. So, this means we not only have trained journalists writing and sharing news, but anyone who feels can share what they hear, see, or believe.
In the year 2020, it is unheard of for a journalist, or really any teenager or adult, to not have some sort of social media page. Journalists are able to connect with their readers in a more intimate way than ever before. Social media has proven to be a beneficial tool for journalists to connect with other journalists and the journalism community as a whole. Social media gives journalists the opportunity to connect on a more personal level with their readers. It is possible for a journalist to be active on their private social media channels while continuing to remain ethical in their reporting, and the Society of Professional Journalists lays out how to do so in their Code of Ethics.
As journalists though, we all agree to a social contract, to abide by an ethics code, which means we try to stay impartial, unbiased, and deliver credible news to the best of our abilities. The average person, or "non journalist", who Tweets or shares news on Facebook, is not necessarily going to be concerned with their content remaining ethical and credible. Nowadays, people seek popularity. They want the most likes and follows on their pages, because that is what will bring them fame and fortune.
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| Courtesy of John Cole The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pennsylvania |
As journalists, we all play a part in keeping the democracy alive, and that now includes sharing information though social media. Not only can this be done through making sure we are sharing factual credible information not only professionally, but on our personal social media sites as well. We must think about how we represent ourselves on social media and the effect it could have on readers interpreting our work. If the main goal is to remain impartial and credible, we must be careful what we share personally and how it could potentially jeopardize our credibility when reporting.
We also can do our part by helping to educate readers, and social media users on how to fact check information and sources, and not sharing something as factual if it is in not true. Misinformation can be dangerous, and we must all do our part to ensure that we are taking responsibility for the information we are sharing. It is absolutely empowering that we are equipped with the tools to research and connect with others, creating our own values, ideas, and beliefs about the world. This is something the generations before us were not able to do. We must be precocious when obtaining information on social media, and the more we do this, the better chance we have at fulfilling our main roles as journalists, which is playing our part in maintaining a healthy democracy.
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