I have criticized other news organizations’ policies relating to social media and other digital journalism issues frequently in this blog:
Time to lavish some praise on a news organization for it sensible approach. The Guardian shows why it is a leader in social media and digital journalism with its guidelines for blogging and commenting by journalists.
#4 is a good one: “Link to sources for facts or statements you reference, and encourage others to do likewise.” And in that spirit, I won’t quote them further, since I linked them above. The guidelines are simple and sensible, helpful to journalists in blogging, social media and engaging through story comments. Seven of the eight could easily fit into tweets.
And, I should add, I don’t always rip other organizations for their digital journalism guidelines. I have praised the Australian Broadcasting Corp., NPR, the New York Times and the Roanoke Times (OK, that one mixed in a little criticism, but I even liked how they responded to it). And now, the Guardian. (Thanks to the Guardian’s Meg Pickard for tweeting these to my attention.)
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by margareteward, NewsFuturist.com. NewsFuturist.com said: The Guardian shows newsrooms how to guide digital journalists http://bit.ly/aFOW3I (by @stevebuttry) […]
LikeLike
This is great. I love these policies that keep it short and sweet. I’ve seen a few that are just pages upon pages, which I think really only serves as a barrier to entry and completely unnecessary (especially in the case of Twitter, which only requires 140 characters (or less) to express oneself).
Thanks for the link.
LikeLike
I think those long policies often exist more as justification for firing people than as guidance for staff.
LikeLike
That’s a good point. Thanks, by the way — I dovetailed off this post with one of my own.
LikeLike
[…] accuracy and anonymous comments. I faulted reporters who trade silence for access to sources. I praised the Guardian’s social media policy. I said reporters should be more reluctant to grant confidentiality to sources who are powerful and […]
LikeLike
[…] on the newsroom social media policies of the Guardian, NPR, Los Angeles Times, Roanoke Times, New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street […]
LikeLike
[…] social media policies became public, I commented on all of them. And I praised NPR‘s and the Guardian‘s social media policies, too (and a couple years later, I commented on social media guidance […]
LikeLike