What are the main ethical challenges journalism is facing when embracing Social Media?

Comments posted in our Facebook discussion group.

I agree with Sergi that although social media can provide leads, but info needs to be checked. Another point I’ve noticed is that people’s tweets from months or years ago are sometimes used to try and weaken the perception of their character in articles. Tweets are easier to use out of context to try and make someone seem better or worse than you want. It’s something we all need to be careful of when posting.

Amy Hall

I agree with Becs… it’s a good way to find or follow a good story, but a journalist must alway check the information. I think that social media are the present and the future… My opinion is that journalists who works with social media are the working towards taking over old generations.

Sergi Caufapé

Digital dilemmas for journalists

 

Are we going crazy about social media? Are we journalists using social networks in an ethical manner?

 

 

Embracing all these new tools is more than a challenge for hackers and broadcasters than it might seem. So, how should media professionals use social media?

I do believe this is an important question to bear in mind, especially when everybody is sharing their lives and thoughts in the virtual world. Even though we see ourselves in possession of a personal and private space, nothing is likely to be so unique and only own by us.

We might be living a sort of revolution within the trade, as we are getting used to all these networking tools. In a 24/7 media world we have the need to converge upon a new ethical approach to these news resources. Eventually, all media companies would end up adopting a guideline, but so far, only few of them have done so. Obviously, there are pros and cons in using networking tools for journalists such as larger range of sources while losing personal contact, we gain immediacy, but at the same time online sources have to be checked offline and so on.

Truth, honesty, accuracy, privacy, opinions, facts,… All these and more in next posts.

UCF Social Media

 

Picture from kyanmedia.com

Twitter, Facebook… 2010 saw a continued growth for firms and media outlets engaging in online communities and other social media technique, which allow them to interact with their audiences and clients. Social Media are taking on different fields of our society. And they do it worldwide. What is more, citizen journalism has become an important technique on news gathering.