Personally, I’m a big fan of the bird app and as an aspiring journalist, I find that having some sort of Twitter presence is essential to be an effective mobile journalist. We’re in the age where most of us get our information on social media, especially Twitter, so it makes sense why most of today’s journalists use the app.
Twitter as a Journalistic Tool
While some might disagree, which is understandable, Twitter is the best tool to obtain, create, and distribute content. It also really depends on what your beat is, but the main ones like covering sporting events, trials, important speeches, protests, etc. need to use social media to get their content out. People want immediacy when it comes to getting their news, and what’s faster than getting it on social media?
Professional Journalists Using Twitter
Many journalists I follow on my personal Twitter account mainly tweet out breaking news stories, post their new content, and even their takes on certain news stories. From reading their tweets and seeing how they use the platform, they prove that Twitter is a useful tool in my future career path. I also find that journalists who are on Twitter are more open to replying to their followers. It’s important to reach out to those who are reading, promoting, and sharing your content, because in doing so, you gain their loyalty and they will feel compelled to keep reading your posts.
Cons of Social Media Journalism
Even though I’m emphasizing why journalists need a Twitter presence, this doesn’t mean you can’t be an effective journalist. Twitter is merely a tool that they have access to, there’s really not much else to it. One main disadvantage is that when getting information via social media or Twitter, you never know if it’s factually correct. Misinformation spreads like wildfire. Many times I’ve seen journalists have to apologize or delete their tweets due to misinformation, so it’s essential to fact-check and update stories as soon as possible. Another would be what is considered “newsworthy content”. Instead of telling their journalists to write quality and newsworthy stories, some media companies tell them to write short articles that follow current trends, in an attempt to attract more readers and widen their audience.
I’d say you can still be an effective journalist without using Twitter, but because journalism is going mobile, it’s best to get familiar with Twitter or risk being left behind. That said, Follow me on Twitter: @angelinaj_shu.
Angelina's Angle 