The problem with teasing the news
When is using teasers bad news sense?
When they become the news, rather than deliver it.
At least that’s the argument Poynter makes when it reinforces the blog Journalistics regarding last week’s change in Zodiac signs.
It’s a lesson in ethics scholastic journalists could examine as they decide how to use social media to inform audiences of upcoming and current stories.
Writing in the Poynter article, Damon Kiesow noted coverage of the Zodiac “adjustment” swept media across the country. For example,a local Cleveland station pointed out how the signs of the 11 p.m. personalities had changed and how they felt about it.
“Instead of promoting the news, simply deliver it,” Kiesow wrote. “The best audience development strategy is to direct readers to your website or mobile app as quickly and easily as possible. Otherwise, as Wilson points out, viewers will simply bypass you for other sources.”
In Journalistics, author Kim Wilson wrote, “Social media users like to be involved in the news-gathering process, and when they see a hole in your reporting, they’ll fill it. Unfortunately, they will often fill it with someone else’s reporting.”
And, unfortunately for most media outlets, the initial story teases turned out to be misleading and incomplete.
Wilson also said traditional tease writing is not a way for social media – or traditional media – to accurately deliver a story. She links readers to ways she says news outlets can successfully use social media.
The stories and embedded links provide a worthwhile look at how incomplete, inaccurate and viewpoint-ridden social media teases can give audiences a sign something is not what it should be.
Read MoreIn journalism today, where does one role end and another begin?
In the wake of NPR’s firing of Juan Williams, questions emerge over the mixing of roles in new media and create confusion for journalists as well as communities.
In short, as some say in coverage since Williams’ firing, what kinds of speech will be OK in the future and what does the incident say about media ethics.
According to the Christian Science Monitor, “The Williams firing shows that NPR, in many ways, is an example of a news organization trying to navigate new media without muddying the role of journalism in society, says Jen Reeves, an associate journalism professor at the University of Missouri in Columbia.
“‘It’s confusing to the general public what journalism is anymore,'” says Ms. Reeves. “‘Our job as journalists is to question the culture and present it to the general public to think about. But instead we’re constantly [playing up people’s fears].'”
It’s that confusion that the links below might lead to numerous lessons and discussions about new media ethics and the roles of scholastic journalists.
Even though our students may not play different roles for different media, they might play different roles for the same media.
Will being a commentator or promoter in one case using new media create confusion with a reporting role in print media?
These articles might add to what is a much-needed discussion:
• Juan Williams firing: What speech is OK as journalism evolves?
• NPR fires Williams as criticism mounts
• NPR fires Juan Williams; Fox News expands his role
• NPR ends Williams’ contract after Muslim remarks
• Juan Williams calls firing by NPR ‘chilling assault on free speech’
• Juan Williams at odds with NPR over dismissal
• Juan Williams fired: pitfalls of the ‘instant opinion’ age
• NPR vs. Fox News: Juan Williams firing reveals deeper media fight
• NPR’s Schiller says Juan Williams fired because of ethical guidelines
Read MoreNoteworthy information 10: Questions for the new era
To help us prepare for scholastic journalism’s new era, let’s look at the 10 roles exercise recently outlined by the Center for Scholastic Journalism. Instead of thinking of the roles in terms of print media, let’s project the roles into the future and discuss them in terms of scholastic media’s use of social media.
And, since no one has definite answers for these uses, let’s look at potential uses in terms of questions for future discussion.
• Should scholastic media be involved in branding? If we are heavily involved in branding are we, by nature of the media, becoming more interested in advertising and public relations than objective reporting?
• What is the best role in student media for social media: Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Google groups etc)? It is branding? Is it letting our audiences know what we do doing and what to expect? Is it reporting breaking informtion? Is it some combination? What are the plusses and minuses of each in terms of mission, role legal standards and ethics? You might take a look at the issues raised by Mike Wise, sports commentator of radio and The Washington Post when he knowingly posted false information on his Twitter site. Later, he railed at those who did not factcheck. That may be, but what is his responsibility? Today The Post suspended Wise for a month, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported Wise told his morning radio audience. Poynter covered the event, including reference to the Post’s ombudsman’s comments.
• What is your forum role for online media? Should your students moderate comments or allow them at all? Should they be limited to just students? From the CSJ blog: “Remember, if your existing letters policy says, in the first sentence, you are a forum and encourage letters (comment) but in the next sentence says you will edit for length and clarity, or moderate for this and that, are you really being “open”? Even if you add the phrase “without changing the meaning,” is that possible to do? If I wrote an 800-word letter and you cut it to 400, even if YOU don’t think you changed my meaning, I’ll bet I would think you did. And if the policy says you will edit for “good taste” or even correct mistakes, have you limited my expression?” Or, is there a developing standard that will allow the forum but still enable free expression?
• If we look to use social media for coverage, what kind of story works best? Worst? What kind of story (assuming your students have already outlined their roles using the framework provided by the CSJblog) is most crucial to the role of the medium?
• Can promotion and objective coverage realistically come from the same use of a single social media outlet (Twitter, Facebook)? Should our students mix opinion and objective reporting using the same outlet?
•It has been said that reporting on the web is probably not the place for depth and longform reporting. What evidence supports this? Can we find evidence that depth and longform flourish on the web? An excellent read from Nieman Journalism Lab suggests some dangers of thinking in terms of “quick find” terms on news searches like Google News and others.
• What is optimal length for web stories? Why? Practioners do not all agree that short (someone suggested 250 words) is better? Take a look at respectied news websites.
• In using social media, what are the roles for breaking news, verification and perspective. Are these inherently contradictory? Should we view one as more important than others? How should each come across in our teaching?
We’d love to see a discussion get started here, on JEA’s listserv, on JEA’s Digital Media site or on any other site open to all advisers.
Read MoreJournalistic credibility – gone with LeBron
I know this is not directly related to scholastic journalism, but in a way it is.
As scholastic media – online and print – strive to find models of what they want to emulate, they of course look to the commercial media (I have reasons for not grouping them all under the guise of professional).
This post by David Zurawik makes excellent observations about some forms of “journalism,” most recently exemplified by ESPN’s LeBron James infotainment last night.
I am not recommending this because I am from Cleveland but because the author makes relevant points about journalistic credibility.
LeBron is gone; let’s not send journalistic integrity with him, at any level.
Hype is not what scholastic journalism needs; real leadership through digging and reporting is.
Read More