Journalists’ Social Media Practices Can Both Help, Harm Their Work
GPI, HQ — Over the years, I’ve led many “social media for journalists” workshops and trainings. Most of my presentations focused on how journalists can use social media to expand the reach of their stories and connect with their audiences.
I stand by the concepts I introduced, especially the idea that social media tools are best used for connecting and conversing with people around the world. And I still encourage journalists to see social media as both a means for distributing their stories and a platform for engaging in dialogue with their communities.
But I also think we all need to slow down a bit and think about how we portray ourselves and our organizations on social media.
“Never assume that private accounts are truly private.”
One of my goals for Global Press Journal is to increase the targeted reach of our stories, so I have enlisted our reporters around the world to help us connect with their local communities. Many of our reporters have been active on social media for longer than they’ve been working for GPJ. Some have large followings and participate in ongoing conversations. This makes my job easy. I don’t have to convince them to use social media because they already do.
Then, there are others, who haven’t ever had access to social media or don’t use it due to cultural reasons. Some worry that an image of themselves, made public, could make them vulnerable to a curse from someone who wishes to harm them. But even many of these people use social media, mostly text-messaging apps, but these still count as social media platforms.
The challenge is helping GPJ reporters find a balance between having and using their own voice to maintain a personal social media presence while at the same time adhering to the basic tenants of GPJ journalism, which protect the Global Press brand.
I want to provide provide best practices on the use of social media as a both a personal and professional tool, and help our reporters create a social media presence that will not only increase brand awareness of GPJ but also elevate their roles as professional journalists in their communities.
When it comes to our social media “guidelines,” we ask GPJ reporters to do two things:
- Always treat other reporters, sources, team members and local community members with respect in your intentions and expressions.
- Exercise restraint when it comes to making political statements and revealing your own biases.
Reporters should be mindful of who they follow on social media. We ask them not to thank sources publicly on social media. If necessary, they can send a personal email. A retweet, a like and a share can be construed as an endorsement, no matter what your profile says, and those could mislead people.
If our reporters choose to participate in online conversations, they should not engage in arguments over an issue or take sides. They should only offer additional information in the form of verified information.
I’m also reminding them that they should never assume that private accounts are truly private.
In today’s real-time, 24-hour world, the best advice I can give GPJ reporters is, “Think before you tweet.” (Or post to Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.).
