A discussion on Twitter (of course) about editors’ use of Twitter, especially Bill Keller’s
August 2, 2011 by Steve Buttry
As often happens among journalists on Twitter, we spent a lot of time Monday talking about Twitter.
As near as I could see, the Twitter discussion started with Chris Krewson (he later asked me to credit him with starting it all, and I think that’s fair).
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Funny. @romenesko is calling out editors of top 10 newspapers on Twitter, and noting when they last tweeted. Cuz that means something. |
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@caroletarrant @johnrobinson @romenesko @poynter IMO, it holds people to a made-up arbitrary standard and implying they’re out of touch. |
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For the life of me I don’t understand why some editors have to be dragged kicking and screaming into social media. Hello, it’s MEDIA. |
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Why wouldn’t they be naturally curious? “Hmm, there’s this thing occupying grandma’s time and toppling govts. Shouldn’t I check it out?” |
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Of course, top editors aren’t tweeting, @romenesko @poynter. We’re busy doing important stuff! cc: @ckrewson @caroletarrant |
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@ckrewson @caroletarrant I don’t know that they need to be bigtime tweeters, but they should have a presence. It doesn’t take much. |
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@johnrobinson @romenesko @poynter @caroletarrant It’s really dumb to castigate people for not tweeting, or not tweeting well, or enough. |
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@ckrewson @johnrobinson @romenesko @poynter Why is it dumb? Splain please. |
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@stevebuttry It’s like saying that b/c Robert Thompson can’t program a DVR, he can’t run a newspaper. I’m not buying it. |
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@stevebuttry @Romenesko List overlaps with list of people whose VCR’s still flash 12:00. #Luddites #VeryOldMedia |
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@stevebuttry Quite frankly, if they don’t choose to engage on here, it has zero influence on how they run their newsrooms. |
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.@ckrewson Actually, top editors’ lack of curiosity about new digital journalism tool says a lot about them & their news operations. |
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.@ckrewson I’m not saying that every editor with lame Twitter presence is a bad editor. But it’s a telltale sign about digital savvy. |
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.@ckrewson Editors hold public officials & agencies accountable for questionable conduct all the time. Why not call them out? |
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OK I admit it. The only reason I bash paleoithic/unsocial editors on Twitter is because it’s always good for a dozen follows. |
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@ckrewson @caroletarrant @johnrobinson @stevebuttry Put aside how much editors tweet. What abt using it to listen, engage? Not enough do. |
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@ckrewson @caroletarrant @johnrobinson @stevebuttry .(cont) And that’s been the #1 benefit of Twitter to me as journalist, by far. |
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Eventually the conversation focused on Keller.
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@stevebuttry Also, @nytkeller runs hands-down the most social newspaper on the planet. His columns indicate familiarity with the medium. |
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.@ckrewson @nytkeller’s columns indicate hostility toward & ignorance of Twitter. But yes, many on his staff rock on social media. |
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@stevebuttry @nytkeller And what’s a better indicator – tea-reading of column content, or dedicated staff – something no other editor did? |
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Actually, when I was editor of The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, I appointed a social media guide almost a year before Keller made his first appointment of a staff member dedicated to social media. And I think some others were ahead of him, too. But yes, he deserves credit for dedicating staff to social media. No argument there, but …
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@ckrewson It’s pretty clear Times staff innovated on Twitter despite @nytkeller, not because of him. |
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Hm @stevebuttry:”(NYT) staff innovated on Twitter despite @nytkeller, not because of him.” I don’t know enough about that to call bullshit. |
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@ckrewson @stevebuttry NYT innovated on twitter “despite @nytkeller.” “I don’t know enough about that to call bullshit.” I do. Bullshit. |
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I am pleased that I helped prompt Keller’s first tweet since June 27.
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@nytkeller @stevebuttry Well, thank you sir. Nothing like primary sourcing. |
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.@nytkeller @ckrewson I call bullshit, too. When editor says something’s stupid, he doesn’t get credit for its success: http://nyti.ms/lGVMdf |
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@stevebuttry Bottom line: I would rather see the NYT engaged as a social news org than have its editor say nice things about social media. |
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@stevebuttry And I do not think that an editor saying nice things Twitter – or using it “well” – is the same thing as the org embracing it. |
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Interesting conversation between @stevebuttry and @ckrewson on @nytkeller’s influence on the social aspects of NYT. |
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@stevebuttry On what info do you base your observations about NYT staff and Twitter? |
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@stevebuttry It’s always risky to make assumptions without reported facts. |
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.@lexinyt I’ve followed several NYT staff members for years. They excel on Twitter despite @nytkeller’s disdain. |
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@stevebuttry I see. Sounds very in-depth. |
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Interesting list. RT @mediagazer: Boston Globe editor joins Twitter. “Like it or not, you can’t ignore it.” http://bit.ly/qoyAdf |
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@ckrewson Tx for entertaining the possibility that I might share credit for NYT digital advances on my watch. Including social media. |
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I think it’s more than a possibility, @nytkeller – you’re signing the paychecks. |
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@mathewi I’d argue the most effective champions are the editors who use social media. Street cred plus personally understanding the value. |
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@lfmccullough Agreed. It doesn’t have to be heavy usage, just effective. @mathewi @stevebuttry |
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totally agree — RT @lfmccullough I’d argue the most effective champions are the editors who use social media |
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@lfmccullough @mathewi I’m sorry but no. Dedicated staff > all that. Keller put his money there, in terms of FTEs. |
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@ckrewson @lfmccullough: for me, using Twitter shows an editor is willing to reach out to his or her readers directly, which is valuable |
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can an editor who doesn’t use Twitter still be a champion for social media inside the newspaper? @stevebuttry says no, @nytkeller says yes |
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.@mathewi An editor who doesn’t use Twitter? I guess. Ed like @nytkeller who says “Twitter makes you stupid”? No… @stevebuttry |
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.@mathewi BTW, @nytkeller does use Twitter. You may recall a particular hashtag that he started. |
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@stevebuttry: yes, should have said “an editor who doesn’t use Twitter well” — not saying you are wrong, just interested in the question |
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@mathewi @stevebuttry @nytkeller Can an editor who doesn’t know how to operate a printing press be an editor? |
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@jlax: not sure that’s exactly the same kind of thing @stevebuttry is talking about with respect to @nytkeller |
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.@stevebuttry: while @nytkeller has been skeptical of Twitter, I don’t think that necessarily means he retarded its progress within the NYT |
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@mathewi @stevebuttry @nytkeller Understood, but the issue is his disparagement rather than his usage |
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@jlax: not sure it’s fair to say he disparaged it — he was definitely skeptical about it /cc @stevebuttry @nytkeller |
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@ckrewson: yes, nothing like a good Twitter fight — thanks! /cc @stevebuttry @nytkeller (and in the process we prove Bill right) |
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.@mathewi @stevebuttry Worth noting that @nytkeller has claimed to “praise Twitter and Facebook rather effusively.” http://nyti.ms/qMfD7F |
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@mathewi I believe that the best CEOs are the most demanding consumers of their own product. Not necessarily the most demanding creators. |
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Most Major Newspaper Editors Don’t Even Use Twitter
We’ve poked fun in the past at former New York Times editor Bill Keller’s infrequent and bizarre use of the Twitter. But aren’t there more ways we can make fun of newspaper editors, related to Twitter? Yes! Yes!
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Krewson, Keller and Mainland are right to say that Keller shares significant responsibility for the Times’ leadership in many respects in digital journalism. The Times excels in digital storytelling and interactive databases. Its development of Document Cloud was a great contribution to digital journalism. Many Times journalists excel in the use of social media, particularly Twitter. (Liz Heron, social media editor, was a guest speaker via Skype last month in the Social Media and Reporting class that I team-teach with Mandy Jenkins at Georgetown University.)
An editor deserves credit and blame for what happens on his or her watch, and sometimes that blame or credit won’t be proportionate to his or her direct leadership.
Alexis Mainland, another Times social media editor, stuck up for Keller, as you might have noticed in the tweets above. I asked her to tell me more about Keller’s internal advocacy for Twitter and other social media. She responded by email:
“I’m so interested in why today’s discussion focused closely on Bill Keller. With only a month left in his post before he returns to writing, I’d think the discussion would be more focused on Jill Abramson’s Twitter presence or, perhaps, surmising if and when Dean Baquet will join the tweeting ranks.”
Abramson was named last month to replace Keller as editor on Sept. 6, with Baquet becoming managing editor for news. I think the discussion focused on Keller because Romenesko used him, rather than Abramson, in making his point about the top newspaper editors. I won’t speak for Romenesko, but I think the fact Keller’s still the editor means you treat him as the editor in such a list now. (And perhaps it made the unspoken point that all the top editors of the 10 largest newspapers are white men.)
Abramson has tweeted 14 times, Keller 42.
Continuing from Mainland’s email:
“Bill has joined the social media team (a new part of Aron Pilhofer’s team in the newsroom whose creation Bill blessed last winter) in encouraging Times journalists to join the conversation on Twitter. Most recently, when Danny Hakim‘s heartbreaking series about abuse in New York’s state-run homes for the disabled was published, sparking hundreds of reactions on Twitter, Bill personally reached out to Danny to suggest he start tweeting. Danny joined that day and hasn’t looked back.
“A few weeks before Jill was named executive editor, it was Bill who encouraged her to get on Twitter and learn the ropes. I’m sure Jill would have jumped on board on her own in due time, but it was Bill who set the process in motion.”
I should add that the process was in slow motion. Abramson was not yet on Twitter when the announcement was made, and still isn’t tweeting much, though I liked this tweet from yesterday:
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So joyous to have #JoaoSilva on his beautiful new legs in our newsroom today. We toast him at 6. |
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Back to Mainland’s email:
“I’ll conclude with one more example for you. Bill represented the social media team in discussions with our legal department on the importance of experimenting on Tumblr, when elements of Tumblrs Terms of Service concerned them from a rights standpoint. Without Bill’s help and willingness to take a stand in favor of embracing Tumblr, I’m not sure The Times would be on Tumblr yet.”I’m willing to admit that I might not give sufficient credit to Keller for the excellent Twitter engagement by lots of Times staffers. I have long followed and admired the tweets of Heron, Jennifer Preston (I wrote about her
appointment as social media editor two years ago, and we have exchanged public and private messages occasionally), Nick Kristof, David Carr, Jeff Zeleny, Patrick LaForge,
Jim Roberts and other Times journalists. I
argued with Tim O’Brien on Twitter while he was at the Times. In my workshops on using social media, I cite the outstanding
Twitter use by Brian Stelter in covering the Joplin tornado.
Without question, the Times has become a strong presence on Twitter under Keller’s watch.
But the Times also has many journalists resisting Twitter use, and I think we need to cite the editor’s leadership there, too. I
checked the bylines on the home page of nytimes.com at about 6 a.m. today, and only one (Zeleny, an old colleague from my second hitch at the Des Moines Register) has what I would call a strong Twitter presence. Three could not be found on Twitter by their bylines. Two have Twitter profiles but hardly ever tweet. Two are light users. I’m not going to examine all the Times staffers’ Twitter use, but that quick sample supported my view that the Times is, like most newsrooms, a mix of journalists embracing and resisting Twitter.
I appreciate Mainland’s insight into Keller’s internal leadership on Twitter use at the Times. But I believe he also must be held accountable for his public disparagement of Twitter. The editor of the New York Times wrote: “Whether or not Twitter makes you stupid, it certainly makes some smart people sound stupid.” (This was the very same week of Stelter’s brilliant use of Twitter in Joplin.)
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The Twitter Trap
I don’t mean to be a spoilsport, and I don’t think I’m a Luddite. I edit a newspaper that has embraced new media with creative, prizewinning gusto. I get that the Web reaches and engages a vast, global audience, that it invites participation and facilitates – up to a point – newsgathering.
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In yesterday’s discussion, I said if you call something stupid, you can’t take credit for other journalists’ success with it. I said the excellent use of Twitter came despite Keller’s leadership, not because of it. Given Mainland’s statements, I’ll amend that to say that Times excellence in Twitter happens despite and because of Keller’s leadership.
A final comment on Keller (a great journalist and one I don’t criticize lightly): Mainland praised him as “extremely supportive.” I have appreciated the support of many editors. Support is a valid leadership skill and function. The best leaders succeed at times by following talented staff members or by getting out of their way. Without question, that has been a key to whatever success I have enjoyed as a leader.
But support is a passive aspect of leadership. What you do and what you say matters. A lot. Keller can’t take credit for the great work of his staff and shrug off his own words and his own performance.
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@stevebuttry What you can’t perceive is that @nytkeller is extremely supportive. His columns are his columns, not his newsroom policy. |
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