Journalism Workshops

The beauty of Twitter is that, like Soylent Green, it’s made of people. The best tweeters have personalities, providing more than just a bland regurgitation of the latest headlines. A good journalist on Twitter adds value to the news.

But at some organisations that’s now under threat. On Tuesday, Sky News announced new social media rules, limiting what their reporters can tweet. On Wednesday the BBC refreshed its own guidelines.

-

This comes from an overview in The Guardian about changes Sky News and the BBC made about how their reporters interact on social media sites.

In short, it’s a regression. Both organizations want their reporters to submit copy to the desk before breaking the core of the story on Twitter/Facebook/Bebo/whatever. Their concerns about diluting their overall brand are well taken, but I think social media allows for so much more.

Social media allows for a peek “behind the curtain” and gives viewers/readers/listeners/followers insight into the journalism process—something which, unlike sausage, people should want to see how its made. Denying that possibility, especially after it’s already been out there, will only drive eyeballs away.

(via jenclass)