Reporting with social media

Steve ButtryEveryday Health

June 8, 2012

Read more about it• stevebuttry.wordpress.com• slideshare.net/stevebuttry• @stevebuttry• zombiejournalism.com• stephenbuttry@gmail.com

What’s your social strategy?

Great for promotion, but also …• Great for reporting• Find story ideas• Crowdsource• Join the conversation (reply, retweet, ask

questions)

• Many more users• Much info private• Tougher to search• Not as immediate

(less frequent updates)

• Engage, don’t intrude

• Great for breaking news

• Great real-time search

• Engagement not as intrusive

• Hashtags help w/ search, conversation

Personal vs. professional use• Separate accounts OK but not necessary• Always behave professionally, even on

private accounts• Be personable on pro accounts• Presume boss will see all posts• Don’t bore pro audience

• Connect w/ sources (balance, disclosure?)

• Check pages of agencies, people on beat• Crowdsourcing (ask on their pages as

well as yours)• Look for people in the news• Ask for permission to use photos

• Create group around topic on your beat• Create page for topic or story

Options for journalists:• Use personal FB account, all or most

public• Journalist page• Personal account, enable subscriptions

(decide which updates are public)

Why use Twitter?• It can save you time• It extends your reach• It’s an engaging, conversational tool• It’s great for connecting with people who

experience stories you write about

Bookmark this page

https://twitter.com/#!/search-advanced

Vetting tweeps, verifying info• Check full Twitter stream, profile• Connect on phone, in person• Check location (not 100% reliable)• Others verifying? Clusters, not echos• Photos? • Other sources, other tweeps• Ask, “How do you know that?”

Say what you don’t know

More on verificationCraig Silverman tips:

http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/eight_simple_rules_for_doing_a.php

Mandy Jenkins tips:http://zombiejournalism.com/2011/09/b-s-detection-for-journalists

/

Routine Twitter use• Follow people interested in your

topic(replies, retweets, check followers)

• Join topical conversation• Master Twitter search (advanced)• Find & promote topical #hashtags

(#prostate #cancer)• Use Twitter routinely on your beat

Crowdsource

Crowdsource

Use other social tools, too

• Growing swiftly• Users share (pin, re-pin) visual content• 80% of users are women• Heavy use for food, fashion, travel• Embeddable• How might you use?

• Do agencies on beat post photos?• Search for keywords, photos• Invite people to contribute photos on

news stories• Connect w/ people posting photos• Seek permission (check conditions)• Give credit

• Do agencies, people on beat use?• Watch for public videos getting attention

(will often see links, mentions on Twitter)• Embed in stories, blogs

• “Mayor” is great source about an org or venue (employee or customer)

• See who has checked in for event or breaking news story

• Tips might provide questions for stories• Break story w/ Foursquare “shout”

• Connect with sources• Find new sources through connections,

groups• Discussions help find experts• Check updates, slides, travel• Search by location & keyword

• Important for search• Find sources• Follow sources in Circles• Follow beat topics in Sparks• Interview by video Hangouts

Niche tools

Social fame is fleeting

Time management• Integrate social media into reporting,

writing & editing processes• Use lists, TweetDeck, HootSuite to

organize the chaos• You can tweet & read tweets quickly• Invest some time• Decide what’s not important

Ethical considerations

• How do you identify yourself?• Ask skeptical questions• Seek verification• Say what you don’t know• Ask question, repeat rumor w/

questions, if at all• Correct quickly

Read more about it• stevebuttry.wordpress.com• slideshare.net/stevebuttry• @stevebuttry• zombiejournalism.com• stephenbuttry@gmail.com