1. University of Cumbria
Faculty of Arts, Business and Science
Academic Year 2013/2014
Student Number – 1307576
An Investigation in What Affects Twitter Has Caused To the
Journalism Industry
Word Count –5217
Supervisor – Tony Randall
Module – DMED6010
Extended Essay
Submitted as part requirement for the degree BA (HONS)
Journalism
1
2. Index
Chapters Page No
Abstract 3
Introduction 4-5
Literature Review: 6-11
- Journalism and Twitter’s Dynamic Relationship 7
- Case Study: Twitter and the Arab Spring 8-9
- The Future of the Twitter-Journalism Relationship 10-11
Methodology 12-13
Findings and Discussion 14-28
- Journalist Interviews – Analysis of Prominent Themes 15-21
- Data Collection 22-28
Conclusion 29-31
Bibliography 32
2
3. Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation is to analyse how Twitter, the mini-blogging social
media tool, has affected the journalism industry. By way of combining both review
and analysis of in-depth interviews with experienced journalists and analysis of data
collected from younger, student journalists, I planned to obtain a clear view into how
Twitter has caused various changes within the journalism industry. This dissertation
focuses on one simple question: what effects has Twitter caused in journalism.
Anyone involved in the media today knows who quickly the industry has changed and
continues to change. The lines between a professional within media and an amateur
continue to blur as social media continues to shape the media and its various
branches, such as print and online journalism. At the heart of all these changes
instigated by the social media revolution, is Twitter.
In short, this dissertation shows to what extent Twitter has caused journalists to think
Twitter is now an integral, essential tool. Furthermore, this dissertation shows how
student journalists – the future of the industry, feel exactly the same as established
journalists, and are embracing Twitter as the central hub of journalism as the industry
grows within the digital age.
3
4. Introduction
This dissertation analyses Twitter’s relationship with journalism and how it has
effects how journalists work. This dissertation reviews and analyses literature
regarding Twitter’s ever-growing complex relationship with journalism, the media,
and thus - society.
This dissertation looks to combine both qualitative of quantitative methodologies of
investigation to provide a whole, in-depth, study. This dissertation includes both in-
depth interviews with journalists and data collected from student journalists who
undertook a survey to provide this broad, yet in-depth analysis.
The interviews included in this dissertation are as follows: Sachin Nakrani – Sports
Journalists at The Guardian, Adrian Weckler - Technology Editor at The Irish
Independent, Hugh O’Connell – Political Editor of TheJournal.ie, David Lynch –
Sports Journalists at The Manchester Evening News and Steven Graves – Liverpool
ECHO Chief Reporter. The data collected from survey distributed consists of student
journalists, who attend courses both Ireland and the UK.
Twitter, founded in March 2006, is essentially a site which combines common
features found in blogging and social media. Think Blogger, condensed to 140
character messages, and Facebook, without the plethora of photo album updates or
event requests.
4
5. Since its inception, Twitter’s growth has been exponential. According to studies
conducted by eMarketer, as of 2014, Twitter has approximately 645,750,000 active
users, and has annual advertising revenue of $405,500,000 (it was $45,000,000 in
2010). Clearly, Twitter is a gargantuan social force, but it has also intercepted the
media, and thus journalism, in a big way.
As anyone involved in print media knows, the internet has played a massive role in
the decline in circulation rates of newspapers - and the creation and need for, a busy
website to gain essential revenue. Twitter though, has a more complex relationship
with journalism, than simply accounting it as part of the reason for newspaper
circulation rates decline. Many journalists see Twitter as an essential tool. Others,
warn of its pitfalls, while some, believe it can be utilised but isn’t essential.
Twitter has also, in part, helped resolve political revolutions in the Middle East. It has
captured and relayed images, video, and text to show the world of many breaking
news stories before any traditional journalistic method had produced any story.
Twitter blurs the lines between what constitutes news, and journalism. As ‘citizen
journalism’ becomes common place so does the publication of news, a lot of the time
via Twitter. This raises ethical issues for many in the field to broaden the complex
debate about whether Twitter is a good or bad thing for journalism.
Clearly Twitter’s relationship with journalism is complex and broad, and this
dissertation plan to thoroughly investigate every important aspect of what changes
Twitter has caused in the journalism industry and what changes are likely to occur in
the future.
5
6. Literature Review
In this dissertation I am investigating the changes Twitter has instigated within the
journalism industry. The purpose of this literature review is to establish what work
has already been carried out on the subject of Twitter and journalism’s new dynamic
relationship.
This literature review is separated into three sub-sections. It will begin by examining
the current state of the journalism industry and how its budding relationship with
Twitter is developing. The next section covers the case study of the Arab Spring and
how Twitter played a major role, in part changing the way journalism sees and uses
technology. Finally I will conclude the literature review by examining what many
envisage the future of the burgeoning Twitter–Journalism relationship.
My intention for this review of relevant literature is to present the reader with an in-
depth collection of information on the topic. I hope to present a clear cultural
background on the topic, which will back up my reasons for looking to further such
studies.
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7. Journalism and Twitter’s Dynamic Relationship
Since its inception in 2006, Twitter has now become an essential tool in several
industries, namely journalism. Nevertheless journalists and media critics alike have
swelled the debate of just how important Twitter is to journalism in recent years:
‘Certainly, Twitter is becoming established as a short-form news platform. In terms of
news distribution, a wide range of media outlets already have a presence’, (Crawford,
K. (2010) p.118).
Comparatively, McQuail (2013, p.179) describes Twitter as ‘the semi-institutionalised
social media outlet’ which is ‘taking over what was once the preserve of the
blogosphere’. While both statements would be agreeable, to regard Twitter as a ‘semi-
institutionalised state’ is an exaggerated statement.
Not all journalists believe Twitter is taking over journalism. Paul Sawyers believes
professional journalists still have ‘serious clout over the tweeting mob’. Sawyers says
journalists are ‘professionally trained’ and ‘know how to properly fact check and
validate whatever information comes their way’ (Sawyers, 2012).
Although Sawyers makes a valid point, he doesn’t give enough thought to the power
Twitter holds. In contrast to Sawyers, Bull (2010, p.170, 183) makes the point that
Twitter is unrivalled as a ‘powerful breaking-news tool’ when there is a major news
story that is hard to cover with conventional reporting. Bull continues to state how
7
8. Twitter can help journalists practice writing breaking news headlines which are a
common theme on rolling news.
Case Study: Twitter and the Arab Spring
Clearly Twitter’s role within journalism is a divisive subject for journalists and media
critics alike. Yet in the case of the Arab Spring it’s hard to doubt how big a role it
played. Throughout many revolutions across the Arab world Twitter was to be the
vehicle to help organise protests and tell the Western world of overthrown
governments and see widespread reform. Where censorship was rife, journalists – and
indeed citizens - found it extremely hard to balance their safety and tell the world of
these momentous moments in history. It was Twitter, which greatly helped conclude
these revolutions and protests.
According to the Arab Social Media Report by the Dubai School of Government
(2011), the vast majority of 200-plus people involved in the protests in Egypt and
Tunisia who were surveyed over three weeks in March 2011 said they were getting
their information from social media sites (88 per cent in Egypt and 94 per cent in
Tunisia).
On Twitter, the hashtag “Egypt” had 1.4 million mentions in the three months of the
year. Other hashtags – which are essentially search terms – “Jan25” had 1.2m
mentions; “Libya” had 990,000; “Bahrain” had 640,000; and “protest” had 620,000.
The flurry of tweets spiralled during the turning points of the uprisings. Such statistics
found in the report show Twitter’s emergence as a major social force, spreading the
word of uprisings and inadvertently, playing the role of the digital journalist.
8
9. One specific example of how Twitter played an integral role within revolutions across
the Arab World was when Landler and Stelter explained that (2009, p.99) ‘the apogee
of Twitter’s starring role in the Iranian revolution was the plea by a young official at
the US Sate Dept’ to delay the scheduled outage and maintenance to keep the system
up and running’. Such an example may sensationalise Twitter’s role within the
revolutions. Some media critics are more sceptical when they see such appraisal.
Morozov (2011, p.10-14) discusses two problems with calling it a Twitter revolution.
Firstly, he writes there may not have been as many eyewitnesses tweeting as
expected. Also, he says Iranians who did use Twitter or blogs took risk in being
associated with Americans or considered spies.
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10. The Future of the Twitter-Journalism Relationship
By reviewing how Twitter played a key role in the Arab Spring, showing how it gave
normal citizens the chance to do the job of journalists when they were unable to do so
themselves, it’s clear the Twitter-Journalism relationship is not a fad, but a complex
dynamic changing the face of a globally dominant industry.
The aforementioned Twitter-Journalism relationship isn’t one way – not only has
journalism become receptive to the mini-blogging tool, but Twitter itself too. While
Twitter’s ‘tagline’ started out as ‘what are you doing now?’ it changed in 2009 to
‘what is happening?’. Biz Stone explains the move: ‘Twitter had long outgrown the
concept of personal updates as people are also witnessing accidents, organising
events, sharing links and breaking news’ ‘‘What’s Happening? – Twitter Blogs’’
(Stone (2009) cited in Meikle & Redden, p.199).
It’s clear that the debate on the level of importance of Twitter to journalism will
continue to swell, especially as journalism prepares to enter the world without
newspapers being the prime source of daily news. Yet some can only show praise for
Twitter: Mark Scott said ‘I think Twitter may emerge as the outstanding way of
disseminating surprising breaking news. In my experience in newsrooms, the biggest
stories always arrived in 140 characters of less’ (Scott, M (2009), cited in Meikle &
Redden, p.199).
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11. By review of all relevant literature, it seems the balance is clear – Twitter is a game-
changer for journalism, despite the calls for caution. Such a view compares similarly
to the view of Stephen Bernard – though he goes further to say that Twitter is
completely changing the face of journalism, and even how the industry itself is
defined: ‘As Hermida (2009) explains, micro-blogs like Twitter ‘‘are creating new
forms of journalism, representing one of the ways in which the internet is influencing
journalism practices, and furthermore, changing how journalism itself is defined’’
(Lasorsa et al, 2009, cited in Bernard, 2012).
Twitter may be ‘only’ a tool which journalists can decide to use or not, but by review
of relevant literature, it seems Twitter is becoming an intrinsic part of the industry.
Sawyers (2012) sums up the possibilities of Twitter in his research article: ‘Twitter is
the digital footprint of things that are happening around the world. If Twitter
becomes as ubiquitous as mobile phones – there’s 4million mobile phone in the world
– that’s huge’ (for journalism).
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12. Methodology
This section plans to outline why certain methods are used to attain key first-hand
information for this dissertation. This dissertation combined methods of qualitative
and quantitative research. The methods of both interviewing and questionnaires
analysis are implemented to gain a thorough view of how journalism is developing
upon the seemingly essential tool of Twitter.
For qualitative research the methods of in-depth interviews are used wherein key
journalistic skills previously attained were essential. For quantitative research other
key skills attained were needed, as questionnaires were devised and distributed via an
online medium to gain statistical analysis of Twitter’s relationship with journalism.
Five journalists were approached who work in varying fields across the journalistic
spectrum. The varied background of each journalist was to gauge a broad, yet in-
depth view of how they view Twitter’s relationship with journalism. Each journalist
interviewed was initially contacted via Twitter. Every journalist who was asked to
partake in the interview swiftly obliged. Email addresses were then exchanged with
each journalist. Each journalist was asked if they willing to do the interview via on the
phone yet each were only willing to do it via email due to time constraints.
The method of conducting a series of interview with established journalists was a
suitable technique for this dissertation. Being a complex topic about something
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13. relatively new, it was essential to get thorough, clear views of those who matter most
– journalists. This method created the body of the findings for this dissertation.
For the questionnaires a survey was created on the online survey website Survey
Monkey. A small pool of questions for the survey was devised for the survey to create
a clear and concise illustration of student journalist’s perception of Twitter’s
relationship with journalism.
Surveys were distributed to student journalists from across Ireland and the UK. First
emails with the link to the survey were sent to a group of students who this year
completed a journalism diploma course in Ireland. Then the survey was sent to
students in journalism courses throughout the UK, including degree courses in
Cumbria, Leeds and Liverpool.
The method of survey analysis was suitable for this dissertation. Although the
comparative analysis of the interviews this dissertation needed data analysis to
provide an extra dimension to the study. Such a topic cannot be completely reputable
solely on the basis of quantitative or qualitative analysis. The combination of both
provides of thorough report on the topic on the Twitter-Journalism relationship.
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14. Results and Discussion
In this section I will examine the information I have attained to show to what extent
Twitter’s relationship with journalism has grown and will continue to do so in the
future. The findings and analysis section will be split into two subsections. Firstly, I’ll
review and discuss prominent themes within the five interviews I conducted with
journalists for my qualitative research. I’ll then examine the data collected from by
quantitative research I conducted and explain how it proves Twitter’s effects caused
on journalism. Secondly,
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15. Journalist Interviews – Analysis of Prominent Themes
As stated previously, five interviews were conducted with journalists whose specific
fields varied from technology, sport, crime and politics. The varying background of
each journalist interviewed was hoped would gauge a thorough view of Twitter’s
relationship across the broad journalistic spectrum.
Within each interview each journalist was asked the same questions; therefore a
comparative analysis of their views could be fairly conducted. Each interview
consisted of six questions which was hoped would illustrate a complete view of each
interviewee’s personal and professional relationship with Twitter.
The questions I asked each interviewee are as follows:
1. When did you first sign up to Twitter?
2. Why did you first sign up to Twitter?
3. Does using Twitter help you work as a journalist? – If so how? – Any
particular instances?
4. Is Twitter now an essential journalistic tool?
5. How do you balance using Twitter as a professional and personal tool?
6. Does Twitter have any pitfalls for journalists?
By review of each interview transcript several prominent themes arose which help
illustrate a clear view of each interviewee’s thoughts on the Twitter-Journalism
15
16. relationship. Themes of note which arose are: legal issues arising from Twitter use,
dealing with abuse from readers on Twitter, Twitter’s prominence within politics,
Twitter as a tool of self promotion, Twitter’s key role in newspaper’s transition to
online and Twitter as a key source of breaking news.
Experienced Users of Twitter
The first question ‘When did you first sign up to Twitter?’ was to try and gauge a
timeline for when each journalist first began using Twitter. On review of the question
one simple theme arose – all interviewees were relatively experienced with Twitter –
the latest to sign up was Sachin in 2011.
Both Hugh O’Connell – The Political Editor of TheJournal.ie and Adrian Weckler –
The Technology Editor of The Irish Independent signed up the earliest in 2008. Next
was Steve Graves – Chief Reporter for Liverpool ECHO News who signed up in
2009. Then David Lynch – Sports Reporter at The Manchester Evening News who
joined in 2010.
Such experience indicated from the beginning of each interview I expected nuanced
answers which would help illustrate a thorough view of journalism’s complex
relationship with Twitter.
Twitter As a Tool of Self-Promotion
When I asked the question of ‘Why did you first sign up to Twitter?’ a common theme
arose from Sachin and David - the two youngest interviews – which had similarities
with the data from the question I asked the students of Twitter as a tool of self-
16
17. promotion of ones work. Sachin specified by saying: ‘As a journalist, I felt it was
important to do so in terms of promoting my work and who I worked for.’ David’s
response was similar as he stated: ‘As a way of sharing my work, keeping up to date
with breaking news and getting my own name out there as a young journalist’.
As Sachin and David’s answers illustrate, one of Twitter’s key attributes which help
how journalists work is the nature of link sharing within Twitter. Link sharing of ones
articles will help self-promote the journalists work, therefore giving them the platform
to gain in prominence within the industry which is vital for young journalists like
David and Sachin.
David also provided another an answer which perhaps showed his relative youth
within the industry as it correlated with data shown from the questionnaire analysis –
Twitter as a key tool for gaining contacts. David explained: ‘It's so much easier these
days to contact potential sources of news. For example, I met Steve Hart through
Twitter. He helped me a lot with my coverage of Hillsborough.’
Sachin and David highlighting Twitter uses such as self-promotion and as a means of
gaining contacts shows two key reasons why Twitter can be so simple yet so effective
in helping a journalist maximise their work. Their answers – and youth – correlating
with data shows in the questionnaire analysis also back up the relevance and
prominence of the data readings.
Legal Issues Which Arise From Twitter Use
17
18. A strong theme which arose from the interviews was how Twitter can be misused by
journalists if they do not use it prudently. When I asked ‘Does Twitter have any
pitfalls for journalists?’ the prominent theme of caution arose.
Steve Grave – who writes about court cases regularly, explains: ‘The immediacy of
the medium can present problems. If you're at a court case you could end up tweeting
a piece of information which would normally be seen by a much more senior figure in
the newsroom before going to print. The key for journalists is to know their media law
and bear it in mind at all times’.
Such caution is echoed by Hugh O’Connell who said: ‘Tweeting incorrect or
unverified information can be very damaging for your reputation. Just as bad as if you
were to make an error in a story’.
The theme of a cautious forewarning by the interviewees indicates the seriousness of
publishing incorrect or libellous information on the internet. Like in print, the internet
is just as serious a platform for a journalist. There’s generally the perception for
student journalists and in general that what you say on the internet doesn’t matter –
that’s clearly wrong. With Twitter, one’s audience could span from a couple hundred
to hundreds of thousands.
Abuse Received on Twitter
Another strong theme which arose from the questions of ‘Does Twitter have any
pitfalls for journalists?’ and ‘How do you balance using Twitter as a professional and
personal tool?’ was the abuse a journalist may receive on Twitter. While at one time
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19. journalists would rarely hear from angered readers, now it is inevitable if you’re
active on social media. The theme of abuse was prominent from the two sports
journalists interviewed in David and Sachin.
Sachin felt strongly about the issue of abuse as he explained: ‘As a football journalist
you tend to get a lot of abuse on twitter - the sport sparks strong emotions among
people and many of them are on twitter’.
David spoke similarly of the abuse received by football fans on Twitter: ‘People write
tweets without thinking that there is a person at the other end reading them. Some of
the abuse I've received for writing things about football - which is, in the grand
scheme of things, a meaningless pursuit - would shock you’.
By review of what David and Sachin cite regarding abuse on Twitter, it indicates one
key factor. As stated previously, a mentality exists on the internet – and invariably
Twitter - which some think it is okay to say anything they want because of anonymity.
True anonymity doesn’t exists on Twitter though, as seen in the past year of
broadcaster Stan Collymore has reported various figures for sending racist abuse
which has resulted in court appearances.
Twitter’s Prominence in Politics
Another theme of note which arose from review of the interviews was the key role
Twitter has played in politics – and politics has played in Twitter. When Steve Graves
was questioned ‘When did you first sign up to Twitter?’ he cited how he was ‘swayed
by the fact the general election the following year was being talked about as a social
media election, so it seemed like it might be an important tool for that’.
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20. Steve citing social media playing a key role in an election comes of no surprise – the
previous year Barack Obama became president of America, and it was widely
accepted that his election was won through the means of a vigorous social media drive
– think of his ‘Yes You Can’ campaign.
During Hugh O’Connell’s interview he also spoke of Twitter’s relationship with
politics. When asked ‘Does using Twitter help you work as a journalist? – If so, how?
– Any particular instances’ he explained that: ‘It can also serve as a way of
monitoring newsmakers, in my case these are politicians who tweet’.
As Hugh mentions that there are politicians who tweet it indicates that Twitter can be
a prime source of news. While using Twitter to look for stories may not be preferable,
it’s clear it can be an option. David also cited this use for Twitter: ‘I have lost count of
the number of stories I've written as a journalist based solely on tweets’.
Twitter As a Source of Breaking News
How Twitter can be used a prime course of breaking news was a notable theme which
arose from review of the interviews. Adrian was quick to point out how Twitter’s
immediacy can be utilised by journalists: ‘If something important happens, it’s a
certainty that it will be flagged on Twitter – in some way – within a very short time’.
Steve Graves was also quick to highlight how Twitter’s immediacy can improve
journalism: ‘Twitter has shaped the way journalism is carried out and is especially
good for reporting live from the scene of an incident and tweeting pictures etc’.
20
21. Twitter’s immediacy encapsulates news in the digital age. One push of a button and a
message can be relayed to potentially millions of viewers. This can be utilised either
positively or negatively by journalists and as ever, caution when tweeting is always
key.
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22. Data Collection
As stated previously, I devised a survey on the website Survey Monkey, which was
specifically aimed at student journalists. The survey consisted of seven questions
which I felt would illustrate pertinent points of why Twitter was becoming an
essential tool in the journalism industry.
The questions asked in the survey are as follows:
1. Do you use Twitter?
2. If so, why do you use Twitter?
3. Have you ever used Twitter to approach a possible interviewee?
4. Do you think Twitter can improve how a journalist works?
5. Do you think you will use Twitter as a way to ‘get your name out there’ as a
journalist?
6. Do you use Twitter to converse with other journalists?
7. Do you think Twitter is an essential journalistic tool?
In total, there were 26 respondents to my online survey. Below are graphs and
analysis of each answer.
22
23. 1. ‘Do you use Twitter?’
Do you use Twitter?
0.00%
20.00%
40.00%
60.00%
80.00%
100.00%
120.00%
1 2 3
Percentageofresponses
Yes
No
As you can see from the above chart there was a unanimous response to question
one where all 26 respondents said they do use Twitter. It must be stated such a
positive response may be due to the online distribution method of the survey. Had
I distributed the survey using a traditional method of handing out forms perhaps
the responses wouldn’t be as unanimous.
2. ‘If so, why do you use Twitter?’
23
Why do you use Twitter?
Personal Use
Professional Use
Both
24. By review of the above chart it is shown that 57.69% (15 respondents) combine their
use of Twitter for both personal and professional. By stark comparison only 11.54%
(three respondents) use Twitter solely for professional use. This data shows that
Twitter effectively allows journalists to use Twitter for both professional and personal
uses – as we are told in the aforementioned interviews with the varied journalists.
Nevertheless 30.77% (eight respondents) opt to use Twitter for just personal, social
use. Such data shows that Twitter is seen by some as a tool not needed for
professional use within the journalism industry.
3. ‘Have you ever used Twitter to approach a possible interviewee?’
24
Have you ever used Twitter to approach a possible
interviewee?
Yes
No
25. The above data shows there was a slight majority who have used Twitter to approach
an interviewee with 53.85% (14 respondents), while 46.15% (12 respondents said
they had not).
The parity between both answers is revealing: while Twitter is shown to be a useful
tool to gain contacts and further ones work, it is not seen as an essential means of
gaining contacts. The informal, public nature of conversation on Twitter is a
conceivable reason for this.
4. ‘Do you think Twitter can improve how a journalist works?’
By review of the above chart it shows an overwhelmingly positive response
towards yes, Twitter can improve how a journalist works. The chart reveals
25
Do you think Twitter can improve how a journalist works?
0.00%
20.00%
40.00%
60.00%
80.00%
100.00%
120.00%
Yes No Not Sure
Percentageofresponses
Series1
Series2
26. 96.15% (25 respondents) said yes, while a meagre 3.85% (one respondent)
believes Twitter doesn’t improve how a journalist works.
The conclusively positive response highlights shows how Twitter’s prominence in
the psyche of young journalists. With all but one respondent saying Twitter
improves how journalist works the meaning is clear: Twitter has had an overriding
positive effect on young journalists. It’s interactivity with regard to self-promotion
of ones work and the possibilities it opens up in terms of gaining contacts will
strongly appeal to those starting up in the industry.
5. ‘Do you think you will use Twitter as a way to ‘get your name out there’ as a
journalist?’
Examination of the above chart shows 69.23% (18 respondents) think Twitter can
be utilised as a way of self-promotion as a journalist. By comparison only 11.54%
(three respondents) disagree while 19.23% (five respondents) are unsure.
26
Do you think you will use Twitter as a way to 'get your name out there' as
a journalist?
Yes
No
Unsure
27. The disparity between three answers highlights one key factor – just how new
Twitter is to so many. While the data of previous questions shows near unanimous
positive connotations toward Twitter’s effect on how a journalist works, the above
data shows that some are not yet utilising Twitter to it’s full potential.
By review of the interviews it’s clear for professionals self-promotion via Twitter
is a pertinent factor of their professional social media use. With review of the data
of student journalists, it indicates such utilisation of Twitter may take time.
6. ‘Do you use Twitter to converse with other journalists?’
The above data again shows a vast majority positive answer wherein 84.62% (22
respondents) use Twitter as a way to converse with other journalists while 15.38%
(four respondents) said they don’t use Twitter to converse with other journalists.
Through personal experience I have found conversing with established journalists on
Twitter can be a useful element of Twitter to gain contacts and perhaps future job
27
Do you use Twitter to converse with other journalists?
Yes
No
28. opportunities. The substantial ‘yes’ response in the data indicates the respondents also
use Twitter in-part to gain possible contacts for journalists. This may also indicate
Twitter can be utilised as a self-training tool for students looking to make a serious
career within the industry.
7. ‘Do you think Twitter is an essential journalistic tool?’
Similarly to the interview answer to the same question the students generally agree
that Twitter is now an integral journalistic tool as 76.92% (20 respondents) agreed.
Not everyone agreed though, as 19.23% (five respondents) disagreed that Twitter is
an essential journalistic tool and 3.85% (one respondent) said they weren’t sure.
This data again indicates an overriding positivity toward the Twitter-Journalism
relationship as a whole. While the pool of responses may be lower than preferable the
data shows how strongly student journalists feel about Twitter.
28
Do you think Twitter is an essential journalistic tool?
Yes
No
Don't Know
29. To agree that Twitter is an essential tool highlights how strongly integrated it is within
the mindset of students planning a career in journalist. Twitter is now seen, by the
majority, as a key tool within journalism on various levels; data from previous
questions shows respondents are using it as a means of self-promotion and conversing
with established journalists within the industry
Conclusion
Through the review of all relevant academic research previously covered on the topic
of Twitter’s relationship with journalism, I was able to build the foundation for my
own study. Furthermore, by the analysis of my own findings, I have not only found
many key points answering the original research question – ‘what effect has Twitter
caused to the journalism industry’ – but examined where further exploration of the
topic could be carried out in the future.
By review of the data analysis it was conclusive that student journalists are fully
engaging in the digital age – and with that, acknowledging and full-partaking in
Twitter’s intrinsic relationship to the journalism industry as a whole.
By conducting an analysis prominent themes which arose throughout the five
interviews conducted with journalists the finding were also clear; while Twitter may
only be a mere tool for journalists, it’s quickly becoming one which is a near-
necessity to fully-function in this digital age.
Although I feel my findings provide a thorough analysis of Twitter’s burgeoning
relationship and effect’s caused on the journalism industry, there were certainly some
29
30. limitations which must be noted. First and foremost, time constraints meant the pool
of interviewees and questionnaire respondents were lower than preferable.
With five interviewees I feel that was an acceptable number of interviewees but their
backgrounds and status were not. Although I interviewed a department editor of a
national broadsheet – Adrian Weckler – I feel that did not suffice. Although the other
interviews provided some interesting viewpoints, I think the lack of experience in
some didn’t help. Also, with the lack of phone interviews, I feel I didn’t delve deep
enough certain aspects of study – such as the pitfalls of where Twitter can cause legal
issues – such as possible defamation cases caused by Tweets.
One critique of my qualitative research methods within the dissertation would be the
lack of phone interviews which would have shown more professionalism within my
work. Although phone interviews are preferable I found the method of interviewing
via email gave me the chance to quickly conduct the five in-depth interviews with
very experienced journalists whose professional backgrounds were all ideal and
relevant to this dissertation.
One critique of method of online distribution for surveys would be that online surveys
could inadvertently create a bias throughout the data as the questions regard Twitter
use – an online tool. Another thing I could have done differently is devised a focus
group where I could have gained more thoughtful discussion from journalism
students.
30
31. As stated previously, the pool of respondents for the data analysis was lower than
preferable. Had I had more time to send the questionnaire to various journalism
courses, there would have been more conclusive evidence to draw from the analysis.
Also, had I distributed the questionnaire through a non-digital means, I may have
been able to show a complete lack of bias with regards to Twitter use among
journalism students.
When analysing possible further areas of study in the future there are many key points
worth noting; Twitter is a new medium - it was created in 2006 - yet is the second
most used social media tool in the world – second to Facebook; has played a major
role in the election of the first black president in the world; was a major instigator in
various revolutions and protests across the Arab world, and most poignantly in this
dissertation’s case, help change the face of the journalism industry on a truly global
scale.
Such factors indicate the magnitude of Twitter’s effect on the journalism industry.
Considering that, further study should begin by how regulatory training for use for
Twitter by journalists could be implemented. I believe such training should be a
necessity, as to show students why Twitter is so important, and how dangerous it can
be if not taken seriously.
31
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