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Chapter 7. Journalists’ use of social media

A paradigmatic shift towards restoring audience trust through wide-ranging engagement

Abstract

This paper shows that journalists are gradually taking greater advantage of social media and the interactional affordances it offers. This means, firstly, that journalists can benefit from social media not only by monitoring conversations, but also by participating in and initiating them. Secondly, journalists can not only collect information and identify sources, but also actively ask for them. Thirdly, journalists can not only distribute their work, but also market it and brand themselves. As these interactional extensions enable journalists to already engage with their audience during the newswriting, the paper concludes by discussing the potential of social media for improving the transparency of journalistic work and, therefore, for restoring a trusting relationship between the news media and their audience.

Abstract

This paper shows that journalists are gradually taking greater advantage of social media and the interactional affordances it offers. This means, firstly, that journalists can benefit from social media not only by monitoring conversations, but also by participating in and initiating them. Secondly, journalists can not only collect information and identify sources, but also actively ask for them. Thirdly, journalists can not only distribute their work, but also market it and brand themselves. As these interactional extensions enable journalists to already engage with their audience during the newswriting, the paper concludes by discussing the potential of social media for improving the transparency of journalistic work and, therefore, for restoring a trusting relationship between the news media and their audience.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Chapter 1. Painting the postfoundational picture 1
  4. Chapter 2. Online headline testing at a Belgian broadsheet 17
  5. Chapter 3. “It is, perhaps more than ever before, a matter of participation” 43
  6. Chapter 4. “If it wasn’t absolutely true, it couldn’t be published” 67
  7. Chapter 5. “Somehow I'm Always Writing” 99
  8. Chapter 6. Journalism now 129
  9. Chapter 7. Journalists’ use of social media 151
  10. Chapter 8. Epilogue 175
  11. Index 185
Participation, Engagement and Collaboration in Newsmaking
This chapter is in the book Participation, Engagement and Collaboration in Newsmaking
https://doi.org/10.1075/dapsac.94.c7

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Chapter 1. Painting the postfoundational picture 1
  4. Chapter 2. Online headline testing at a Belgian broadsheet 17
  5. Chapter 3. “It is, perhaps more than ever before, a matter of participation” 43
  6. Chapter 4. “If it wasn’t absolutely true, it couldn’t be published” 67
  7. Chapter 5. “Somehow I'm Always Writing” 99
  8. Chapter 6. Journalism now 129
  9. Chapter 7. Journalists’ use of social media 151
  10. Chapter 8. Epilogue 175
  11. Index 185
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