Presented at AEJMC 2014, Montreal

1. Forces at the Gate
Social Media’s Influence on Editorial and
Production Decisions in Local TV Newsrooms
Anthony Adornato
Ithaca College
AEJMC 2014 | Montreal

2. Introduction
o New technologies have always shaped how journalists perform
their craft, content of news, and relationship with audience
(Cottle & Ashton, 1999; Pavlik, 2000)
o New technologies used as a way to capture audience attention
in hopes of bolstering ratings
o Ability to go “live” impacted selection and treatment of stories
o Engaging audience through use of social media is now increasing
force in local news production
o Full adoption, yet not understood how social media is being
used in production of newscasts
Forces at the Gate

3. Introduction
o Newsgathering, dissemination, and relationship with the
audience
o Social media influences editorial decisions
o Integration of social media into existing newscasts
o Experimentation with social media newscasts
“Just 10 years ago, the primary duties of reporters and
producers…were to fill newscasts with live shots, packages,
good writing, and plenty of video” (Smith et al., 2007).
Forces at the Gate

4. Purpose
o Investigate how social media is affecting the
content and production of local newscasts
o Practical implications for news managers and
educators
Forces at the Gate

5.  Gatekeeping Theory
o Includes not only selection of news content, but also
how it is handled (Shoemaker et al., 2001;
Shoemaker & Vos, 2009)
o Story treatment assigns value, conveys importance
Literature Review
Forces at the Gate

6.  New Forces at the Gate
o Social media disrupts traditional production routines
(Cohen, 2009; Gillmor, 2005; Singer et al., 2011)
o Two-way conversation
o User-generated content and crowdsourcing
o Editors no longer have sole control over what makes it
through the “gates”
Literature Review
Forces at the Gate

7.  News is Social
o 40% of Internet users have contributed to creation of news,
commented about it, or disseminated it via social media
(Pew, 2010)
o TV News
 use of social media tools in newscasts
 social media is routine source of tips, content, and
sources
 stations pursuing stories and topics that are
popular on social media
Literature Review
Forces at the Gate

8. o What policies do local TV newsrooms have regarding the use
of social media in newscasts?
o To what extent are local TV stations using social media in
newscasts?
o Why are they using social media in newscasts?
o How is social media impacting editorial decisions about
newscast content?
o How is social media impacting the quality of newscast
content?
Research Questions
Forces at the Gate

9. o Nationwide survey of news directors at local affiliates (ABC,
CBS, NBC, FOX)
o Master database created using multiple online directories
o Web-based survey sent in August and September 2013
o 566 news directors
o 22% response rate (N=126)
Methodology
Forces at the Gate

10. Markets Percent of Total Respondents
1-25 13%
26-50 15%
51-100 33%
101-150 24%
151+ 15%
Results
Forces at the Gate

11.  RQ1: Policy
o 98% have a social media policy
Does your policy cover the use of social media in newscasts?
Yes 63%
No 37%
Does your policy include procedures for verifying social media
content?
Yes 61%
No 39%
Results
Forces at the Gate

12.  RQ1: Policy
Entire news staff bears responsibility for verifying accuracy and
authenticity of social media information before reported in
newscast.
Has one of your newscasts ever reported information from social
media that turned out to be false or inaccurate?
Yes 34%
No 66%
Results
Forces at the Gate

13.  RQ2: Extent of Social Media in Newscasts
o Nearly all stations (98%) integrate social media into newscasts
o Two-percent previously had newscasts focused solely on social media
o Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are most frequently integrated into
newscasts
o Pinterest, Instagram, and Google Plus are infrequently used
o Majority of stations (60%) include recurring social media segments
Results
Forces at the Gate

14.  RQ3: Reasons for Using Social Media in Newscasts
Interacting with audience (90%)
Enhancing content (77%)
Showcasing social media tools (65%)
Competing with other stations (38%)
“I want them to have a personal and emotional connection to our
newscasts.”
“This is where the viewers are. We need to be anywhere they are.”
“It can enhance content through viewer photos, etc. A valuable
tool when used in context.”
Results
Forces at the Gate

15.  RQ4: Social Media and Editorial Decisions
o All stations use at least one social media platform to gather content
or find story ideas for newscasts
o Only 7% never or infrequently gather content from social media that
is then reported in a newscast
o Always (16%) or frequently (47%) turn to social media for story ideas
o Always (5%) or frequently (37%) decide to cover stories because of
popularity on social media
(Scale: Always, Frequently, Sometimes, Infrequently, Never)
Results
Forces at the Gate

16.  RQ4: Social Media and Editorial Decisions
o Treatment of stories from social media
Results
Forces at the Gate

17.  RQ5: Impact on Quality of Newscast Content
Has one of your newscasts ever reported information from social
media that turned out to be false or inaccurate?
Yes 34%
No 66%
Social media has enhanced newscast content?
Agree 75%
Neither agree nor disagree 15%
Disagree 10%
Results
Forces at the Gate

18. o Gathering content from social media is no longer a novelty
o Popular social media content significantly influences story
selection
o Cautionary tale about impact on editorial decisions
o Policy has not caught up with practice
o Emphasis on locating reliable information and identifying
misleading user-generated content
Conclusions
Forces at the Gate

19. Future Research
o Social media policies
o Organizational flow of content in newsrooms
o Types of stories selected via social media
o Traditional news values (proximity, timeliness, etc.) applied as
frequently?
Forces at the Gate

20. Forces at the Gate
Social Media’s Influence on Editorial and
Production Decisions in Local TV Newsrooms
Anthony Adornato
Ithaca College
AEJMC 2014 | Montreal