Herbert Lowe | Telling Stories One Tale At A Time
  • SHORT STORIES
  • MY STORY
  • CURRICULUM VITAE
  • #LOWECLASS
  • RESOURCES

Talking 'Journalism in the Age of the Tweet'

9/19/2011

7 Comments

 
Picture
Being a former criminal courts reporter, it's amazing to consider live tweeting from inside a courtroom during a major trial – but that's what Natasha Korecki does while covering federal court for the Chicago Sun-Times. "It is exhausting because you're putting things out all day long," Korecki said of how social media – especially Twitter – has changed journalism. "But you are reaching another audience. You are reaching a wider audience."

Korecki and other panelists discussed "Journalism in the Age of the Tweet" today as part of Social Media Week, the huge international undertaking that, according to its website, "brings hundreds of thousands of people together every year through learning experiences that aim to advance our understanding of social media's role in society."

About 100 people attended the journalism panel at the Tribune Tower in downtown Chicago. The moderator, Bill Adee, vice president of digital at the Chicago Tribune, said 5.1 million people function online in the metropolitan area, and that 80 percent are on Facebook and 17 percent are on Twitter. Four out of every five people in the room raised a hand when Adee asked who had tweeted at least once today. For those wondering what to tweet, he offered this good advice: one-third personal, one-third business or professional, one-third informational.

Trib Nation Manager James Janega; Frank Sennett, Time Out Chicago's president and editor in chief, and Matt Carmichael, director of information projects at Advertising Age, joined Korecki on the panel. Janega offered this truism concerning the age-old question of how to make pitches to journalists: Twitter is a great way to maintain a relationship, but not so good for starting one. Asked what other social media Ad Age employs, Carmichael said: "I think the action for us right now is Twitter. Whether that's true a year from now, who knows?"

While acknowledging "the world we live in now is immediate feedback," Sennett also spoke of the danger that social media poses for journalists. "The danger of how it has changed us ... is that you chase the page views." By that, he means, newsroom managers must be wary of focusing on what they think the public wants at the expense of what it needs to maintain a functional democracy and a safe and informed community. Very good point.

7 Comments
Heather Ronaldson
9/20/2011 01:29:38 pm

Live tweeting courtroom trials would be an exhausting responsibility, but an exciting way to tell a sometimes tired story. Ditto to Sennett's comment about chasing page views. Website and blog statistics provide ample feedback for authors, but may discourage newsworthy content for the sake of maintaining page popularity. Something to keep in mind as a digital journalist.

Reply
Erica Breunlin
9/20/2011 04:24:13 pm

When I first read that Natasha Korecki live tweets from inside the courtroom, I was a little taken aback. To me, tweeting in the middle of a trial seems a bit inappropriate. Perhaps I am just not as well-versed with Twitter as I should be and am not aware of all of its advantages. At least it encourages a certain demographic to stay on top of what's going on in the world. I do agree with Frank Sennett's worry, though. If journalists start focusing on ways to boost page views over ways to properly inform readers, the integrity of the field will be compromised and its credibility will really suffer. Satisfying readers' cravings is important to an extent in drawing them to a story, but when it becomes more important than informing them sufficiently it undermines all principles of journalism.

Reply
Brynne Ramella
1/17/2012 01:24:48 pm

Journalism classes are what has caused me to finally come around to Twitter. While I cannot stand the pointless tweets many people send out, I've accepted that Twitter is great for covering live events and keeping up with news.

Reply
Olivia Morrissey
1/18/2012 06:14:32 am

I agree that the 'age of the tweet' and social media has changed how journalists communicate with their publics, and the change is not always negative. Sennett's concern that journalists will begin to lose sight of the purpose of their work is valid, and journalism students should be aware of it as well.

Reply
Tess Quinlan
1/18/2012 11:58:20 am

Twitter has changed journalism. No one can dispute that. While I understand James Janega's point about relationships and Twitter, I disagree. I have started relationships with multiple sports journalists on the East Coast via Twitter. When I meet them in person now, I am a familiar face and not just another student media member.

Reply
Joe Kvartunas
1/18/2012 04:10:19 pm

I think looking back 10 years from now we will be able to say that Twitter had as much of an impact on the way news is spread as anything else. It is a perfect tool for providing second by second news to a society that is always on the move.

Reply
Ben Greene
9/4/2012 02:35:29 pm

This post highlights one of the big problems I have with Twitter. I feel like, in order to use it effectively, one must constantly be tweeting updates. Sure, it gets the word out to hundreds, if not thousands, of people immediately, but it requires a lot of dedication.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Welcome

    My journalism DNA remains strong as I learn and teach new ways to tell and present stories, especially via digital and social media. This blog is where I share what happens in my classroom and my life and, from time to time, offer my views on current events. I appreciate your feedback – either as comments herein or in an email to herbert.lowe [at] marquette [dot] edu.

    Tweets by @herbertlowe

    Archives

    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010

    Categories

    All
    Branding
    Digital Divide
    Digital Storytelling
    Emerging Media
    Graduate School
    Journalism
    Journalism Education
    Journalism Education
    Live Tweeting
    Marquette
    NABJ
    NewsU
    NNS
    Poynter
    Sports
    Storify

    RSS Feed

© Copyright 2017 Aim High Media | All Rights Reserved | Site Design by Aim High Media