The following is an excerpt from 140 Characters, page 9.
There’s the story you wanna tell, and the story a reporter wants to hear, and somewhere in between is the story that gets told.
Real reporting can take place within social networks. There are two key principles to remember.
Second: A direct relationship with your social sphere is fundamental; keep it independent of the media outlet that employs you.
Keep your professional identity as a reporter independent and portable because jobs can come and go. You will want to retain your readers during times of change.
Additional caveats apply to journalism. This list is not comprehensive, but is rooted in experience with corporate blogging and investigative reporting.
Ten tips, in order of importance:
- Own your smartphone and a great set of mobile apps.
- Determine your employer’s social networking policy. If they don’t have one, write up a policy of your own and submit it.
- Check sources and attribute-[shakes fist] check sources!
- Think twice before posting: once for your source and once for your editor.
- One drunken, angry tweet could ruin you.
some things can’t be said in under 140 characters. especially after some champagne.
- Jokes can almost always be taken the wrong way; expect this.
- Never discuss a story before its time, or tweet about something before it happens.
- Be as clear as possible with your sources about when you expect your story to post so they know when and how to promote it.
- Avoid writing about colleagues or the workplace.
- Follow other journalists: @jennydeluxe, @michaelbfarrell, @mat, and the rest.
“Oh look, I sent you a link.” “Oh, I sent you a link, too.” “That’s great, we’re journalists!”
You think you want to be a Twitter journalist? You’ll need to check your facts, provide a truly unique perspective, and most of all lead with action. Do this with fairness, accuracy, and more than a single source, and you will always have a job.