Social Media is the World

At the beginning of the semester I attended Brian Stelter's lecture about social media. Back then I was not expecting a New York Times journalist to say social media is the new form of journalism. Now I realize how vital and important it is to journalists everywhere. The government even uses social media to update on current events and to inform and receive information. Stelter said, "government is to represent us, by being on social media they can better represent us in the future." I feel like this relates to journalism too. Journalists represent everyone if you think about it, they represent whomever or whatever they are writing about making them representatives of the world. Just like Stelter said, by being on social media sites, journalists can represent better in the future.

Social media also allows people to give immediate feedback. Think about how fast someone can make tweet, I have no doubt that within seconds someone will read that tweet and can respond within the minute! There is no way that happens with newspapers! This has come to be the reliable way to contact the editor or writer of the story. This is just one of the many pluses about social media and journalism. Tweeting is the new way to take notes, inform the public, find information, and report the news. Social media is the new way of journalism, social media is the world.

http://www.niemanlab.org/tag/social-media/
http://www.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/Courses/ResourcesForCourses/SocialMediaJournalism.html

Communication and Journalism

      I attended a seminar by Josh Ray who talked about communication in the workplace. His main principle was how to maintain a positive image for your brand and how to communicate that internally and externally. Is this not similar to what journalists have to do? It is a journalists responsibility to maintain and keep the confidence of their readers. Journalists must also make sure they communicate their story in a comprehensive way, in fact that is one of the elements of journalism.  Communication and social media now go hand in hand. For any business to grow, social media teams are a must to spread the word. 

      Josh Ray gave some statistics such as in  2013, 52% of all marketers found a customer via Facebook and 36% via Twitter. Also, 85% of customers expect businesses to be active on social media. Now if the majority of your customers expect you to have a Facebook, it would be very smart to make sure your company has one! Journalists have taken it upon themselves to master the art of social media. There is a certain etiquette to it if you think about it and journalists must obey these so-called "hidden rules" to keep their readers reading. 27% of total U.S. internet time is spent on social networking sites. The way people find and read information is changing from your basic newspaper, to tweets and blogs. I'm not saying journalism is in the past, as a aspiring journalist I sure hope it isn't! But journalism is evolving into something bigger than it was before, and it is a journalists job to make sure they keep with the new and don't live in the past. 

      http://money.howstuffworks.com/business/starting-a-job/10-tips-for-effective-workplace-communication.htm

      http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reportsitem.aspx?id=101882

Independence in Journalism

"Be close enough to know what is going on, but be far enough away to see things clearly."
Can this statement be any more true? Objectivity is key in journalism, it is up to a journalist to write a bias free story. "Journalists don't tell the news they help make sense of it." Making the news comprehensive and proportional is what some may call this. This is a basic element of journalism and must be performed well. "Do not take the work if there is a conflict of interest." Being involved personally or emotionally in a story is completely unacceptable in my opinion. Emotions will sway and change the way a story is written and will completely contradict journalism's importance.

There are major threats to journalism's independence. A politician's public agenda or a newspaper editor's religion might try to sway a journalists ability to produce and publish stories. Bribery, pressure from outside sources, and even forgetting the public prohibits independence in journalism. It is up to the journalist to have zero tolerance for bribes or anything of that nature. Journalists should come up with their own ideas and be perceptive in the world.


http://www.thenewsmanual.net/Manuals%20Volume%203/volume3_58.htm

http://scrippsmediaethics.blogspot.com/2013/09/what-bribery-in-journalism-says-about.html

Faith and Journalism

Is it right to have an opinion on something? Absolutely! Is it right to have an opinion and use it when you are a journalist? I think absolutely not! There is a time and place to share your opinion, but when it is your job to report an unbiased story to a biased audience, you better make sure you do it! Stories about religion appear in the news weekly, reporters like to associate certain religions with certain topics. When Romney was running for president the fact that he is Mormon appeared in every headline and story, it was like his defining characteristic. This really is not a bad thing but is it necessary? When a reporter reports on a Muslim tradition happening and she or he does not agree with what they are doing they should never say its wrong or input their opinion. Journalists have an expected standard they must do their job by, and it is very important not to cross that line. 

(http://www.cpj.org/2013/02/attacks-on-the-press-journalism-and-religion.php)

(http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/culture/effects-social-networks-religious-belief-practice)