• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Margie ClaymanMargie Clayman

Marietta, OH

  • About Me
  • Marketing
  • Librarianship
  • Random Musings
  • Contact Me

Social Media and the Journalist

June 3, 2011 by Margie Clayman 7 Comments

In this section of the Engagement Series, I want to explore how industries other than marketing are using Social Media engagement. I asked this question of Debbi Morello, a journalist and a woman whom I admire  a great deal. This great post is her response!

Where do I begin? Needless to say there is a great deal of discussion and many opinions about journalists using social media and if you asked a journalist six months ago I suspect the answers would be different than they are today, or more specifically, since the dawn of the Arab Spring. More broadly, since the beginning of 2011, what I consider to be an unprecedented year insofar as ‘news events’ literally one after the other in natural disasters, civil unrest and conflict. Try to imagine these “major news events” before social media. I know for the younger audience, that may be difficult. For the more seasoned of us, it’s not.

I am one of these “cross-cutting” people, an experienced journalist, experienced in the world of disaster relief, experienced in conflict zones …  at a time when the only way to transmit information was through satellite phones… kind of like messages in a bottle when we fast forward to 2011. And certainly being a purist and a traditionalist I was not using any social media tools at this time last year, May 2010. Fast forward to May 2011, I’m in a new world.

I’ve been the consumer, the observer, the engaged individual, communicator, activist, advocate, news junkie, loud speaker, amplifier, opinionator, broadcaster, conversationalist… well, you get the idea. And while I’ve been consulting mostly for the last year and reassessing my priorities and professional ‘status’ –  this period of time has provided me with exposure to invaluable information, ideas, connections, and time to understand – just a little bit – how the world has changed.

How has this happened? From my engagement in social media. I speak the journalist language, and I know many journalists – as a communications and media relations consultant I wear both hats. I pitch them and I work (think) as one. Once a journalist, or photojournalist in my case, always a journalist. I will say this, nowhere, no how, can anyone consider a communications strategy – or any strategy that involves outreach, information, or advocacy, without social media being an integral part. Enough said.

I believe, like anything in the world, when it comes to journalists using social media as an engagement tool, how journalists see this runs the gamut:

A conference News: Rewired – noise to signal, was held in London on 27 May 2011 at Thomson Reuters. The conference was to look at “turning the noise and chaos of large datasets, social networks, and audience metrics into a clear signal for both the editorial and business side of the news industry.”

“Journalists have been quick to incorporate social media into their processes for gathering and distributing news,” Financial Times journalist Martin Stabe, author of the report, said in a release. “But journalists see social media sites primarily as a channel where they can communicate directly with potential sources or engaged members of their audience…”

Research for the report: ‘How social media is changing the role of journalists’, commissioned by Daryl Willcox Publishing, found social media an emotive subject. Out of the 922 journalists surveyed, more than 200 made additional comments – “some scathing, slamming social media as a pointless communication channel to manage, and some pointing to the fact they are now dependent on these websites as news sources”.  Media Release: Journalists rate social media as a professional tool May 26, 2011

The trend for journalists using social media, I believe, has changed significantly just in 2011 alone. There wasn’t a choice really. As the golden rule for journalists is that there is always someone ‘closer’ to the story, social media put that in a context that changed everything. One of the best examples of that lies in great initiatives of journalists themselves like Mark Little. A twenty-year veteran journalist, Mark Little founded Storyful in 2010 and said in a recent post:  “We wanted to be the first news agency purpose-built for the social media age. Our objective was to help others discover, verify and deliver the most valuable content on the social web. I had always been confident about the assumptions which drove Storyful but it wasn’t until the early bloom of the ‘Arab Spring’ that I could see the practical impact of our work.”

The Human Algorithm is a must read for those of you questioning the direction of journalism and social media. Mark Little is spot on with his many observations and relevant points in his post such as:

“Every news event in the age of social media creates more than a conversation, it creates a community. When news breaks, a self-selecting network gathers to talk about the story. Some are witnesses – the creators of original content – others are amplifiers – passing that content on to a wider audience. And in every group are the filters, the people who everyone else looks to for judgment.”

This is happening more and more, and with innovations like Storyful and Global Voices, or see what Andy Carvin with NPR has been doing on Twitter since the beginning of the Arab Spring. Not only are journalists using the tools, they are ‘engaging’ forming communities and they are having ‘conversations’. As Mark Little says in his post:

“Technology gave us the tools to map these news communities and engage directly with their members. But it is the oldest journalistic skill of all which gives this process meaning and that is engagement. It is the skill most easily overlooked in the rush towards a brand new journalism: the supreme importance of interaction between two human beings.”

Debbi Morello has had an eclectic career path including cause marketing for a little paper that was just getting started called USA Today. Inspired to pursue photojournalism she spent nearly 15 years working for news organizations on several continents and winning international awards. For the last 10 years she has combined her keen eye and storytelling skills as a communications and outreach specialist for humanitarian organizations, U.S. government and UN agencies worldwide. Now she is eager to stay on this side of pond. You can talk to her on Twitter: just look for @debmorello!

This is post #64 in the Engagement Series, by the way. If you are worried you might miss more great posts by people other than me, feel free to hit that subscribe button! 🙂

Filed Under: Marketing Talk, Musings

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jon Aston says

    June 3, 2011 at 7:34 pm

    Great post!

    Debbie Rocks.

    Debbie mentioned ‘Storyful’ and ‘The Human Algorithm’, by Mark Little – both new discoveries for me (thanks). I thought you might to add a link to both of them:
    http://storyful.com
    http://blog.storyful.com/2011/05/20/the-human-algorithm-2

    Reply
    • Debbi Morello says

      June 4, 2011 at 10:06 am

      Thanks so much for your comment John and the kind words. Mark Little has done an awesome job with Storyful, it is a great example of how taking all the great tools and talent and putting it together. I hope everyone reads The Human Algorithm, it certainly captures everything to be said on the topic. Mark is spot on. I thought he said it better than anyone, and there is a lot out there being said. Thank you for the links too!

      Reply
  2. Dan Perez says

    June 4, 2011 at 2:46 pm

    Deb,
    I think journalism has been turned upside down by social media – mostly for good. I had a teacher back in the 3rd grade who, after asking the class a question, would scold any student who raised his hand quickly without really thinking by saying, “You’re the first with the worst!”. Social media can sometimes work that way. Just because it comes quicker, doesn’t mean it’s accurate.

    The benefits of communication for journalists in the social media age has been tremendous. The exchange of information, ideas, and the discussion they bring about has taken journalism to a whole other level. I’ve always believed that social media works best in the creative communities: artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians, etc as it affords them a platform to generate awareness for their work and/or exposes it to a much greater audience.

    Despite what the social media pundits will tell you, I’m not sold (nor are the majority of businesses) on the real benefits of social media to drive or generate sales. But for the oncoming creative economy that is dawning, social media has great benefits.

    Hugs to you (and Margie)…

    Reply
    • Debbi Morello says

      June 5, 2011 at 8:52 pm

      Dan,

      Thank you for your thoughts on this topic. I agree, the field of journalism has been turned upside down on so many levels over the last 5 to 10 years, but I think what’s had the greatest impact has been social media and citizen journalism. I think you draw a great example with your third grade teacher – sometimes it “is” that way with social media… Yes, the benefits of communication and information exchange is without question, and so too the rise of new information and news channels. It has revolutionized the way we get our news. Hugs back!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Weekly Shout Out | Aim Above The Mark | Jason Sokol says:
    June 5, 2011 at 2:26 pm

    […] around engagement and starring tons of different awesome writers and bloggers. In this guest post, Debbi Morello talks about the intersection of social media and journalism. This is a rather important topic and I would love to hear your thoughts on […]

    Reply
  2. Social Media and the Journalist says:
    June 9, 2011 at 5:39 pm

    […] Morello, forever a journalist at heart, talks about the new intersection between Social Media and journalism – and what it could mean to […]

    Reply
  3. Margie Clayman’s 100 Favorite Blog Posts of 2011 says:
    December 16, 2011 at 8:36 pm

    […] Social Media and the Journalist, by Deb […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Post: « 30Thursday 15: On Memorial Day, Summer, and your Customer
Next Post: anybody can play the fool »

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Seeing Double: African American Literature
  • Book Review: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
  • Book Review: Land of Lincoln, by Andrew Ferguson
  • The portrayal of the infertile woman in entertainment
  • Chapter 3: A Weird Thing Happened Today

Recent Comments

  • Delores Baskerville on Are you locking out blog subscribers?
  • frank c tripoli on Book Review: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
  • Lyv on #30Thursday number 10 (we’re in the double digits?!?)
  • Fitoru on New Recipes, 2013
  • Anna Wyatt on Help me petition to deactivate driver-side airbags for Little People

Archives

  • February 2021
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • April 2017
  • October 2016
  • July 2016
  • April 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • December 2014
  • October 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • February 2014
  • December 2013
  • October 2013
  • August 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • June 2007
  • April 2007

Categories

  • Book Reviews
  • Crafts and Charity
  • Gardening for Renters
  • Marketing Talk
  • Molly Maggie McGuire
  • Musings
  • PassionPlayers
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Footer

marjorie.clayman@gmail.com

   

Margie Clayman © 2022