[Infowarrior] - ROEs for Journalists on Twitter

[Richard Forno]

http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2009/06/rules-of-engagement-for-journalists-on-twitter170.html

Rules of Engagement for Journalists on Twitter
Julie Posetti

by Julie Posetti, June 19, 2009

The Guardian apologizes for an inaccurate re-tweet.

Twitter's role in the Iranian election aftermath leaves no doubt about  
its power as a global, real time, citizen-journalism style news wire  
service, along with a tool for facilitating dissent, while countering  
the view of Twitter as simply a zone for egotistical banality. But it  
also highlighted Twitter's role as a platform and content generator  
for traditional media outlets, along with some of the key dilemmas  
being faced by professional journalists in the Twittersphere.

I've been researching the ways in which journalists and traditional  
media outlets are using Twitter and exploring the ethical dilemmas  
raised by the clash of the private and the public for journalists in  
the sphere via interviews with Australian, US and South African  
journalists. And, while I'm convinced Twitter is now a vital  
journalistic tool for both reporting events and breaking down barriers  
between legacy media and its audiences, there are still multiple  
questions around professional journalists' activities on Twitter that  
require thoughtful, open debate.

While many journalists recognize Twitter's power as a reporting tool,  
some news organizations are still reluctant to embrace it while others  
have issued rules restraining their writers' use of the service. In  
this third installment of my Mediashift series on the intersection of  
journalism and Twitter, I'll attempt to determine the rules of  
engagement for tweeting journalists.

Rules of Engagement

Some media outlets are making tweeting almost compulsory for their  
journalists but others are much more cautious, or even ban journalists  
from tweeting on the job. The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times  
and Bloomberg have all introduced conservative codes of conduct for  
social media, partly in response to problems resulting from the unique  
mix of personal and professional information on social media. These  
policies have been criticized for missing the point of social media --  
humanized interaction -- and too rigidly regulating journalists'  
tweeting.

But in Australia, journo-tweeting is largely unregulated by media  
outlets. None of the 25 Australian journalists I interviewed for this  
study (from Fairfax, News Ltd, ABC, ACP, Sky News and a range of  
smaller outlets) was aware of such a policy in their workplace.  
According to some of the interviewees, management ignorance could  
account for the absence of such policies. When asked why he thought  
his Australian employer didn't have a policy like the WSJ, one  
journalist responded, "They just don't get it."

posettiirantweet.jpg

There's growing realization among employers, however, that guidelines  
may be a helpful adjunct to corporate editorial policies in the brave  
new world of social media. There's evidence of a policy shift at the  
powerful Fairfax group, publisher of the Sydney Morning Herald and  
Melbourne's The Age. Asher Moses (who was at the center of the  
tweeting controversy featured in part two of this series) indicated  
that, even though there was no official policy, the company had  
expectations that he could tweet either for professional or personal  
use but not both.

And the ABC is currently consulting staff as a precursor to publishing  
new guidelines.

"I think they're still feeling their way on social networking sites.  
It's a new world and they're trying to figure out exactly how to  
approach it," prominent ABC presenter Leigh Sales said.

Newsrooms Blocking Twitter at Work

But some employers are either so afraid of the platform or so  
disdainful about its journalistic potential that they've tried to bar  
their reporters from even accessing Twitter in the workplace. The  
Sydney Star Observer's (SSO) Harley Dennett says he's denied access to  
both his Facebook and Twitter accounts at work via web filters on  
office computers.

"The publishing editor said staff can make those contacts in their own  
time," he explained. "But I get around that by using the Tweetie  
desktop and iPhone applications. I do so openly and unashamedly."

Nevertheless, Dennett's newspaper happily prints copy generated by his  
extra-curricular tweeting.

"During news conferences I declare if a story originated from Twitter,  
but my editor has never verbally acknowledged that," he said. "I can't  
explain the resistance to popular social media and networking  
websites. Personally, I would welcome some guidance from my employer  
on Twitter use, if it made sense at least."

The SSO's policy is clearly a short-sighted and narrow-minded approach  
to managing the issues raised by journalists' interactions with social  
networking sites but it's not an isolated example.

Jonathan Ancer, from South Africa's Independent Newspapers group,  
which publishes Johannesburg's The Star along with other influential  
titles, plans to use Twitter to help trainee journalists to write with  
brevity and clarity, but he is also barred from Twitter at work.

"When I tried to log onto Twitter a few days ago, I was surprised to  
find myself blocked with a note saying my attempt to access porn had  
been recorded," he said. "I think media companies should open up  
access to Twitter, Facebook and other social networking platforms  
because this is where people -- readers, eyeballs, etc. -- are going."

However, while individual journalists with the Independent group may  
have difficulty accessing Twitter, the company's online publication  
has a moderately active Twitter account. South Africa's media  
certainly need to make active use of Twitter ahead of the 2010 soccer  
World Cup when they'll be seeking the world's eyeballs.

Australia's national parliament in Canberra where journalists have  
been granted permission to live-tweet parliamentary sessions.

Meanwhile, in Australia, the Speaker of the Federal Parliament  
recently approved live tweeting from the floor of the House of  
Representatives during Question Time via cell or PC. This breaks a  
decades-long ban on reporting from inside the House. This will likely  
both enliven political reporting and make it impossible for resistant  
journalists and media outlets Down Under to continue holding out.

As Twitter becomes entrenched in daily reporting practice, it would  
seem appropriate for media organizations to update existing editorial  
guidelines to make them relevant to social media platforms like  
Twitter. But if they want to bank on the significant benefits that can  
flow from their participation in the Twittersphere (such as developing  
new audiences and enhancing traffic to their websites), they will need  
to ensure their journalists have unfettered access to the site and  
also be flexible about interactions in the space to encourage  
reporters to engage in conversations with their followers.

What principles guide J-Twits?

So, for those journalists who tweet according to their own personal  
code, what principles guide them? For the ABC's Leigh Sales, it's a  
mix of gut instinct and rules derived from industry experience.

"If I have even the slightest hesitation about posting something, for  
example, a slightly off-color witticism, I choose not to post it," she  
said. "I don't post gags about stories on which I may have to report  
seriously. I don't put any significant personal content on Twitter. I  
may occasionally say that I've been to a movie or express a like or  
dislike, but I don't engage in personal chit-chat...I view it as a  
professional tool."

Dave Earley from Brisbane's Courier Mail has changed his approach  
since Twitter began hitting the headlines.

"Until Twitter's recent media exposure, my Twitter account had  
remained relatively unknown in my workplace," he said. "Now that it's  
on the radar, I'm probably more conscious of what I say."

Early also chooses not to "tweet angry."

"I do try to make sure my tweets are never inflammatory, there's no  
point setting out to make enemies," he said.

For John Bergin of Sky News, it's a case of common sense and basic  
training.

"Our journalists receive legal training," he said. "Issues such as  
defamation, contempt of court, statutory restrictions and so forth  
should apply as much to the online world as they do in the offline.  
Obviously, anything that is private and confidential in a newsroom  
should remain so -- again, common sense and respect for the workplace  
and its people is paramount."

But Harley Dennett's approach is to tweet independently of his  
employer. This allows him to publicly criticize his paper and its  
policies if he desires -- an act which he believes demonstrates  
transparency and buys him credibility with his followers.

"Increasingly, I'm confident the best model is for the journo to have  
a direct relationship with their Twitter followers independent of the  
media outlet that employs him or her," he said. "The spectre of a big  
media outlet appearing to control what a journo says online would also  
really hamper that personal quality that Twitter can bring out of a  
conversation."

Lessons from Iran

What information on Twitter is fair game for a journalist to report?  
There needs to be further discussion between media professionals,  
their employers, journalism academics and social media experts to help  
navigate this complex territory. But my preliminary views go like  
this: Although social media etiquette may not recognize a journalist's  
right to report any material published openly, the reality is that  
open Twitter accounts are a matter of permanent public record and fair  
game for journalists. While attribution is vital and it might be  
polite (but not necessary) to seek the approval of a Twitterer to  
quote them, I don't see anything unethical about using tweets in  
mainstream news coverage. However, the locked Twitter account is a  
more delicate matter. I'd suggest that a locked account amounts to an  
"off the record" comment which requires permission from the tweeter  
before re-publishing.

And does re-tweeting (or RT) -- re-publishing someone else's tweet --  
equate to giving their tweets your professional stamp of approval if  
you tweet openly as a practicing journalist? If you are passing on  
information to your "followers," do you have an obligation to first  
establish the information's authenticity or acknowledge it as  
"unconfirmed" -- an obligation many journalists would feel if they  
were doing the same for a newspaper or broadcaster?

When I raised concerns this week about the practice of tweeters who  
openly identify as professional journalists re-tweeting without  
verification, in the context of the indiscriminate dissemination of  
tweets claiming to emanate from Iran, I found myself engaged in a  
lively discussion on Twitter. I asserted that when Patrick LaForge, an  
editor at the New York Times, re-tweeted (without acknowledgement of  
verification or absence thereof) a list of Iranian tweeters sourced  
from expert blogger Dave Winer (who had, in turn, passed on the list  
without verifying its contents) it amounted to an approval of that  
list, LaForge disagreed. NYU's Jay Rosen then reminded me not to  
expect open systems like Twitter to behave in the same manner expected  
of editorial systems.

But while I agree with Rosen, my concern wasn't directed at the  
unmediated Twittersphere. Rather it was directed at the way  
journalists approach this flood of information. I'm of the view that  
professional journalists will be judged more harshly by society if  
they RT content which later proves to be false -- particularly in the  
context of a crisis. This goes to their professional credibility and  
their employer's.

Therefore, while I wouldn't for a minute suggest journalists step back  
from reporting on social media contributions flowing from zones like  
Iran, nor from repeating tweets purporting to represent witness  
accounts -- clearly these are valid contemporary storytelling devices  
-- I do think they need to critically assess information to the best  
of their capacity before republishing it and, if there's no way to do  
so, flag this with "unconfirmed" or some other abbreviated signal that  
the information has not been substantiated by the journalist.

In many international settings, there are legal as well as ethical  
imperatives to consider here. If you inadvertently RT a defamatory  
tweet in Australia, for example, arguing "I was just passing on a  
link," would not be a defense against a defamation action.

Writing in The Atlantic, Marc Ambinder advises readers to treat the  
flood of information from Iran like a CIA analyst would -- sifting it  
and weighing it up. I think that's sage advice for professional  
journalists operating on Twitter, too. The ABC provided a good example  
of an appropriate approach to this problem in their online  
amalgamation of the social media coverage of Iran by simply  
acknowledging that some of the content was unable to be substantiated.  
(These issues will be a theme at the #media140 conference to be held  
in Sydney later this year.)

Top 20 Take Away Tips for Tweeting Journos

1) Think before you tweet -- you can't delete an indiscreet tweet!  
(Well, you can, but it will survive in Twitter search for three months  
and it's likely live on as cached copy somewhere.)
2) Think carefully about what you're re-tweeting and acknowledge if  
it's unsubstantiated.
3) Be an active twit: tweet daily if you want your followers to stick.
4) Determine your Twitter identity.
5) Be human; be honest; be open; be active.
6) Don't lock your account if you want to use Twitter for reporting  
purposes -- this fosters distrust.
7) Twitter is a community, not just a one-way conversation or  
broadcast channel -- actively engage.
8) Check if your employer has a social media policy.
9) Be cautious when tweeting about your employer/workplace/colleagues.
10) Be a judicious follower -- don't be stingy but avoid following  
everyone as your list grows to avoid tweet bombardment.
11) If you quote a tweet, attribute it.
12) Expect your competitors to steal your leads if you tweet about them.
13) Don't tweet while angry or drunk.
14) Avoid racist, sexist, bigoted and otherwise offensive tweets and  
never abuse a follower.
15) Scrutinize crowdsourced stories closely.
16) Find people to follow. Foster followers by pilfering the lists of  
other twits.
17) Twitter is a 'time vampire' (via @anne_brand) -- you don't need to  
keep track of all tweets, so dip in and out through the day.
18) Prevent information overload by using an application such as  
Tweetdeck.
19) Add applications to your Internet-enabled mobile device to allow  
live-tweeting on the road.
20) Add value to your tweets with links, Twitpic and other  
applications for audio and video.

A useful resource: You can find a list of the top 100 Australian media  
professionals on Twitter compiled by @earleyedition here.

Julie Posetti is an award winning journalist and journalism academic  
who lectures in radio and television reporting at the University of  
Canberra, Australia. She's been a national political correspondent, a  
regional news editor, a TV documentary reporter and presenter on radio  
and television with the Australian national broadcaster, the ABC. Her  
academic research centers on talk radio, public broadcasting,  
political reporting and broadcast coverage of Muslims post-9/11. She  
blogs at J-Scribe and you can follow her on Twitter.