This presentation covers the impact of the internet and social media on journalism, from newsgathering to distribution to consumption. Presented to Tufts University class on "Social Media: Participatory Culture and Content Creation in Society."
1. SOCIAL MEDIA AND JOURNALISM
I stole ‘curated’ this
image
Ben Rubenstein
2. OVERVIEW
•
The role of journalism – why is it so important?
•
How social media has changed the game
• Newsgathering
• Distribution
• Consumption
•
Threats and opportunities
3. WHAT IS JOURNALISM, ANYWAY?
• Traditional ethics of journalism:
• Accuracy
• Proportionality/Fairness
• Transparency
• Independence
“Society doesn’t
need
newspapers.
What we need is
journalism.” –
Clay Shirky
4. WHAT DO JOURNALISTS (AND INSTITUTIONS)
REALLY PROVIDE?
• Credibility/Authority
• Access
• Tough questions (speak truth to power)
• Money (for investigations)
“In journalism,
real authority
starts with
reporting. … ‘I’m
there, you’re not,
let me tell you
about it.’ ”
- Jay Rosen
5. HOW DID WE GET HERE?
Advertising revenue decline (Craigslist)
Free access to news via online sources
Democratization of publishing
Business responses:
Paywalls – hard, metered, social, Bitcoin
NYTimes, Chicago Sun-Times, WSJ, Financial Times
“Evergreen” content
Archives, images
Custom publishing
Pro Publica
Rebundling
NYTimes + Spotify, print + online bundles, aggregation
Subscriptions
Andrew Sullivan
6. DEMOCRATIZATION OF NEWSGATHERING
Social media offers a direct channel to the public
Twitter conversations
Anonymous tips
Increased transparency – ask questions while producing a story
7. NEWSGATHERING RESOURCES HAVE EXPANDED
•
More exposure for trends
• What the public is interested in
• What people are sharing and talking about
9. BREAKING: JOURNALISTS NO LONGER CONTROL THE
PLATFORM
Social distribution is key for getting eyeballs
10. THE END OF BIG
•
Traditional news organizations are being scooped by:
• Blogs and citizen journalists (“Sources go direct”)
• Amateur bystanders – stories flow up instead of down
• Their own staff
11. NEW-ISH ROLE: SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
•
Provide tools to help journalists do their
jobs better
•
Optimize content and distribution for new
channels
•
Curate content
12. SPEED AND STYLE TRUMP EVERYTHING ELSE
•
Tweet first, confirm later
•
The goal is to stand out, get noticed:
• Sharable, Upworthy-style headlines
• Striking images
• Correct timing of posts
13. ORIGINALITY IS SECONDARY
•
Existing content can be ‘curated’ and redistributed
•
Aggregation or stealing?
•
Social stories often get their start from traditional
media
20. RESPONSIBILITY OF JOURNALISTS IN SOCIAL MEDIA
•
Confirm before tweeting?
•
Not falling for hoaxes
•
Give credit where credit is due
•
Thoroughness
“Digital first resets the
journalistic
relationship with the
community, making the
news organization less
a producer and more
an open platform for
the public to share
what it knows. It is to
that process that the
journalist adds value.”
– Jeff Jarvis
21. SOCIAL JOURNALISM BENEFITS
•
Info can be disseminated much more quickly
•
More promotion and exposure for quality content
•
More diversity of opinions
•
Improved research and tips
•
Improved transparency
•
Opportunity to build strong personal brands
22. SOCIAL JOURNALISM DRAWBACKS
•
“Not enough and too much information”
• False information spreads quickly
• Exposure breeds cheap
content/content farms
• Too much faith in the public
23. NEWS DISTRIBUTION: 1963
•
How were people getting the information?
•
What was the timeline of information getting out?
•
What were the reactions among the public? How do you know?
24. NEWS DISTRIBUTION: 2013
How were people getting the information? How many sources?
What was the timeline of the information getting out?
What was the reaction? How do you know?
27. TAKEAWAYS
Just as important for news orgs to be reporting via social media as on their own platforms
Citizens are now a vital part of the news process
Multiple videos/sources instead of just one
Much more info, but no filter