This document discusses the changing role of journalism in the age of social media. It covers several key points: 1. Journalism is shifting from one-way mass communication to participatory work that includes user-generated content from social media platforms. This has weakened the traditional agenda-setting power of media. 2. Social media allows news to spread more horizontally between citizens but also threatens the credibility of journalism. Professional journalists struggle with relying on user content while maintaining gatekeeping skills. 3. Both successes and failures of social media for journalism are explored through case studies like Wikileaks, the role of bloggers/influencers, and how mainstream media is struggling to capture new digital revenues. 4.

1. Chapter 3: Social Media in
Journalism
group two: MEDIA MISFITS

2. -According to Alexander Jutkowitz,
Group SJR managing partner said
“Journalism happens when someone
tells a compelling true story. Period. The
practice need not be limited to an elite
group of professionals called
“journalists,” but those who attempt it
must tell great stories and
shareknowledge”

3. Journalism identified 5 Democratic Needs:
1)Journalism informs, analyzes, interprets and explains.
2)Journalism investigates.
3)Journalism creates public conversation.
4)Journalism helps generate social empathy.
5)Journalism encourages accountability.

4. Journalism Theories
-Tewksbury and Rittenberg (2012) conclude: “The shift from a top-down media
system to one that features more horizontal interaction of people and news
represents a change in the relationship that citizens and others in a nation have
with information”
-The historic paradigm that news agenda-setting influences what people think
about (McCombs & Shaw, 1972) may be weakened by the increasing importance
of social media effects on media and public discussion (Jacobson, 2013). A Pew
Research Center and Knight Foundation study found that nearly half of Facebook
Users, or about one-third of the population, consume news on the largest social
media platform (Mitchell, Kiley, Gottfried, & Guskin, 2013). The major conclusion
was that, “news is a common but incidental experience.”

5. Journalism Theories
-In other ways, news consumers on Facebook tend to mirror the larger population,
although they tend to be more active as Facebook site users. More than three-
fourths (77%) visits Facebook to check on friends with two-thirds (65%) visiting
multiple times per day. According to the Pew study, the most popular topics on
Facebook are: Entertainment (73%), People & Events in my community (65%),
Sports (57%), National politics & government (44%), Local weather & traffic
(42%), International News (39%), Science & technology ( 37%), Business (31%),
and Breaking News (28%).

6. Citizen Journalism
Journalism Shifted from being largely one way Mass communication to
participatory work that includes some User Generated Content (UGC)
UGC is an example of Blogs , Wikis, Discussion Forums, Post, Chats , Tweets ,
Podcasting , video, digital images ,and other form of media that is created by
users of an online system that is made available. ( ex, Shade room , Bossip,)
In 2008 Paulussen and Ugile examined and UGC influence on mainstream
media and they noticed a shift in interest toward collaboration with audience
member.

7. Citizen Journalism
Professional Journalist would rather limit the use of user generated content
because that routinely and passively rely on a number of official supplier of
information. ( They want a reliable and trusted source and UGC can limit that
.)
Journalist Have to work under high pressure and tend to rely heavily on well
known routines , and hold on to their core task which is defined as gate
keeping.
Gatekeeping Skills is decided how to pass information to people when the
media cannot cover all of them.
The gatekeeping skills is a major traits that distinguish professionals journalist

8. Crowdsourcing
Users like us are now able to receive breaking new information which are not
yet available to professional Journalist.
People Now carry smartphones with High quality cameras with them almost
everywhere, Photographs appear quickly on Twitter from the sites of most
breaking news events

9. Micro Blogging
Twitter has become very popular at pushing out numerous stories every day
Twitter has become less credible than mainstream sites
“it is particularly important for media practitioners to remain attentive to changes
in news audiences’ attention patterns and assessments of media
trustworthiness” (williams 2012 p. 127)
practitioners should make sure their audience believes the stories they produce.
User-generated content=participatory journalism
Allows users to connect with anyone to create new content collaboratively

10. Journalism Case Studies
Wiki leaks
large database of advanced connecting of wrong doings exposed for everyone to see
people accused of whistle-blowing: Edward Snowden
Had to flee United States and seek refuge in Russia
Wikileaks couldn’t protect Julian Asange, Founder of Wikileaks
Assange and Chelsea Manning face numerous charges violating Espionage Act for
releasing classified documents
What Can We Learn From Wikileaks?

11. Successes
Social media “democracy of distribution” has changed the news-making process.
TWITTER REVOLUTION: Tunisian and Egyptian Revolutions of 2011
Key actors: Activists, Mainstream media outlets, Journalists

12. Bloggers
- Blogging became popular online early in the new century.
- Independent bloggers were able to use new tools - reach larger audiences.
BLOG POSTS: between 500-1,000 words
: blogging sites encourage use of hyperlinks
: use of images and video links
: keywords - bloggers use tags and keywords to make
it easier to find the blog post through an online search

13. Bloggers (KEYWORDS

14. Social Media Celebrity
- Kony 2012 (30 minute long viral video)
- media content becoming its own media event
- the YouTube video attracted the attention of young adults, which is a group that does not tend
to pay as much attention to traditional news as older groups
- 80 million views in 10 days
- a year later it had 98 million views worldwide
- Kony was a Non-Governmental Organization
- an organization that is neither part of a government nor a conventional for-profit business

15. Failures
The most significant challenge facing journalism in the social media age is paying
for the enterprise.
Newspapers- declining subscriptions, revenue loss, and layoffs
Journalists replaced with younger, online-experienced computer programmers
and social media specialists.
2008-09 recession impacted direction of mainstream media towards leaner
business model
“Continued erosion of news reporting resources” for quality journalism, results in
the news industry being understaffed and unprepared to uncover stories, dig
deeper, or question information.

16. Failures
The Pew Research Center offers data on social issues, public opinion, and
demographic trends influencing the United States and the world.
Identified 6 important trends that advertisements packaged as news editorial
content.
1. Public awareness of effects from newsroom cutbacks
2. News industry failure to capture the bulk of new digital and mobile advertising.
3. Increasing amount of native advertising- ads, sponsored tweets, etc.
4. Paid digital experiments, including use of paywalls for user-paid content.

17. 2013 Pew Survey concluded that 72% of adults, talking with friends/family is the
most common way to receive the news- through WOM.
15% use social networks (FB, Twitter, etc.) to get news, and an even larger 24%
use social media for age groups 18-25 yr old.
One- fourth of 18-29 yr olds rely on social media for news.
What do you think?
Do you feel this accurate? How do you get informed about the news?
Do you feel this a challenge or an opportunity for journalists and news

18. Lessons
Journalists instilled with the model of objectivity. Suggested that journalism
should strive for balance and fairness by telling two or more sides to a story
letting audience be the judge. Creating norm of objectivity which has spread
globally and remains a topic of debate.
Truth or reality, free of personal opinion, is nearly impossible with a social media
world
By engaging in collaborative communities, journalists must release some
editorial control and enter into a state of negotiation with the public. Social
media engagement encourages fairness through an ongoing listening

19. Lessons
Art of storytelling:
Narrative possibilities
Story makes sense out of confusing universe by showing how one action leads
to another.
A good story has no print and broadcast division, just essential principles such
as action sequence, character, complication, and resolution.

20. Online journalists still work with traditional elements and values of the news, but
get to take advantage of 3 online communication attributes that make reporting,
producing, and distributing stories different from other mediums.
Multimedia
Interactive
On-demand
Audience-centered, conscious of keywords to increase search results, ready for
continuous engagement
Interactivity of the Web has brought an end to one-way flow.

21. Discussion Questions: Strategies and Tactics
1. How do you define journalism? How do you think traditional definitions of the
work or journalists are being altered through participation in social media?
What can working journalists do to maintain professionalism?
2. What must journalists do to be relevant to young people? What role should
entertaining video play in attracting new audiences to journalism? Are there
other tactics journalists can use to have a positive effect on business
economics?
3. Does the norm of objectivity remain important within your definition of
journalism? Are there other strategies journalists need to adopt to be
considered as a trusted source for fair information within their communities?