Journalists issued new social media guidelines: focus on Twitter

The Associated Press yesterday announced a new update in their social media guidelines for journalists, and this time they are focusing particularly on Twitter. While the guidelines cover general best practice around use of social media, what the guidelines cover in detail is the correction of erroneous tweets, and the correct procedure for this. They state that the journalist must first announce that they have made a mistake, and then give a full explanation of the error. They are also advised against deleting a tweet, as it may already be in circulation through retweets etc.

What about Facebook?

The social media guidlines issued by the Associated Press also now focus heavily on Facebook, with guidelines including friending and sending private messages. While Twitter was undoubtedly the first real social medium for journalists, they are increasingly turning to Facebook. Indeed, CNN journalist Don Lemon recently showed how journalists are turning to this platform, with an announcement on the presidential race:

The close integration of journalists on Facebook is where the most controversy lies, due to the nature of Facebook and personal accounts. While Twitter profiles of journalists tend to be public facing from the start, there is a transition in Facebook where journalists need to consider the shift from private to public accounts. How much should journalists interact with their personal profile, and when should they interact as ‘the official representative’? As more journalists flood to Facebook to build communities and break news, there will likely be some mistakes made as journalists become increasingly connected to individuals, away from the umbrella of the news organisation they represent.