Paula Hay's Network

Steve Outing: Goodbye, for Now? But Looking Forward

Steve Outing wraps up his column in Editor & Publisher with this look at what the news industry should have done to make the most of the Web during the past 15 years and -- since that didn't happen -- what the industry has to do next.

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Beats and Tweets: Journalistic Guidelines for the Facebook Era

In the spirit of transparency, NPR posts its social media guidelines for reporters and other staff members.

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Summarizing the guidance in an e-mail message, Senior Vice President for News Ellen Weiss urged the staff to "use social media for journalistic purposes and as a way to connect with the audience." Weiss also reminded our journalists -- including the engineering, operations and news administration staffs -- to avoid doing "anything online that will damage your credibility or the credibility of NPR."
"are relevant to ALL employees."
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- In the spirit of openness that social media often represents, we thought we'd share with you the full text of these Social Media Guidelines.
- First and foremost -- you should do nothing that could undermine your credibility with the public, damage NPR's standing as an impartial source of news or otherwise jeopardize NPR's reputation.
  - Michael Becker on 2009-10-15
    
    People don't stop being reporters (or employees of any kind) when they go home for the day. You have to remember that, as a professional, you need to conduct yourself accordingly.
- Anyone with access to the web can get access to your activity on social media sites. And regardless of how careful you are in trying to keep them separate, in your online activity, your professional life and your personal life overlap.
- don't behave any differently online than you would in any other public setting.
- Additionally, law enforcement officials may be able to obtain by subpoena anything you post or gather on a site without your consent -- or perhaps even your knowledge.
- Journalism should be conducted in the open, regardless of the platform. Just as you would do if you were working offline, you should identify yourself as an NPR journalist when you are working online.
- You should always explain to anyone who provides you information online how you intend to use the information you are gathering.
- Content gathered online is subject to the same attribution rules as other content.
- You must not advocate for political or other polarizing issues online. This extends to joining online groups or using social media in any form (including your Facebook page or a personal blog) to express personal views on a political or other controversial issue that you could not write for the air or post on NPR.org.
- Realize that social media communities have their own culture, etiquette and norms, and be respectful of them.
- Social media is a very dynamic ecosystem so don't be surprised if we continue to revise or elaborate on our guidelines at a later date. In the mean time, we welcome your feedback.
  - Michael Becker on 2009-10-15
    
    Important. I'm glad to see that NPR realizes that these guidelines must be flexible.

Twitter / John Robinson

Twitter rules: I trust the staff to report the news. Shouldn't I trust them enough to tweet? Is twitter that much harder than reporting?

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WSJ looks to the past for new social media policy

Patrick Thornton's take on the Wall Street Journal's social media policy.

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Here’s the part that many editors, publishers and news organizations don’t want reporters to hear: Social media and blogs can elevate a reporter to the level where he no longer needs the news organization.

Wall Street Journal rules for Twitter, Facebook are too harsh

Gina Chen comments on the Wall Street Journal social media rules.

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I can see how expressing a political point of view or an opinion on a news story one is writing would be a problem. But any personal opinion? That sentences your staffers to be the most boring people on Twitter or Facebook. Twitter is basically virtual chit-chat; to chat you must express some time of opinion.
if you make a process like using social media too cumbersome, no one will use it.
3 more annotations...
- what’s wrong with promoting your coverage. One of the great benefits of Twitter, Facebook, other social media is you can link to your blog or story and let others who might be interested know about it. It seems without that ability social media becomes somewhat pointless, and you limit your audience to those who already read you or happened upon you in a Google search.
- a publication should have a large dose of trust in the judgment of its staffers or why did you hire them?
- f you want to connect with people on Twitter you need to come across as a human being, who jokes around, who tweets a favorite song, who complains about the weather. Nobody wants to follow a robot. And that’s not connecting; that’s broadcasting.

Newspapers and rules on Twitter

Mathew Ingram wraps up some of the blog coverage of the Wall Street Journal's social media policies.

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Alan Murray jumped in and said that Twittering about stories wasn’t a good idea because it’s “not a good idea for Woodward to tweet he’s going to meet source in garage.”
“Assume that your professional life and your personal life merge online regardless of your care in separating them. Don’t write or post anything that would embarrass the LAT or compromise your ability to do your job. Assume that everything you write or receive on a social media site is public and knowable to everyone with access to a computer.”
1 more annotations...
- Use of Twitter is something my newspaper is thinking hard about too, and I wouldn’t fault anyone — including the Wall Street Journal — for developing a policy or for trying to protect what it sees as its brand value (trust, etc.) and not giving away its secrets. At the same time, however, I think social media is rarely very effective unless it is truly social, and that means trusting people on your staff to use their best judgment when posting things. And if that removes some of the veil of inscrutability or the illusion of omniscience that hovers over the media, then so be it — the reality is that people identify with and want to connect with people, not brands, and that goes for newspapers just the same as other companies.

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Steve Outing: Goodbye, for Now? But Looking Forward

Newspaper social media policies: Out of touch | Socialmedia.biz

Washington Post's social media policy | Socialmedia.biz

Wall Street Journal’s social media policy | Socialmedia.biz

Associated Press’s social media policy | Socialmedia.biz

Beats and Tweets: Journalistic Guidelines for the Facebook Era

Twitter / John Robinson

WSJ looks to the past for new social media policy

Wall Street Journal rules for Twitter, Facebook are too harsh

Newspapers and rules on Twitter

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