(Newswire.net — October 15, 2019) — No profession wasn’t subdued to drastic changes in recent ages. With each technological advancement, journalism evolved. Both professions rely on the same principle; the speed at which information travels.
Technology, however, created phenomena which forced journalism to change and adapt. One such event was the rise of social media. People all over the world spend a good portion of their days on these platforms. For that reason, journalists should use social media to their advantage.
Short and Captivating Content
Everyone can post anything on social media. This surplus of information makes it hard to focus on one thing. If journalists want to catch the attention of the population, they must deliver news in short and captivating packages.
Sometimes the news itself is of global importance, and a short report cannot convey all the information. In all other instances, the reporer should be direct with the audience. Beating around the bush will scare the readers off.
Anybody Can Be a Reporter
Social media platforms give all their users the ability to practice journalism. This does not mean that everybody has the ability to report appropriately. However, through visual media, the ordinary citizen can report if he/she happens to be present at a scene.
Imagine the scenario: You’re heading home in the middle of the night after a pub visit in Calgary. You witness a hit and run, but manage to film the event. Thanks to your filming of the car accident, Calgary saw the car registration, and the police have an easier job to deliver justice.
Fake News
As we have mentioned before, everybody can report news on social media platforms. Not everybody is a reporter, however, and the public can be easily deceived. The true journalist can pick up “fishy” news and proof check them. Good journalism is not only reporting, but fighting fake news as well.
Twitter is the best platform for journalism. Everything that is reported on this platform happened a couple of moments before it was published. You keep your audience up to date with the happenings in the world if you communicate with them via Twitter.
Local news stories are often neglected. The ordinary user can bring attention to the important stuff in local communities. The reporter can head out to the scene of where something happened and do proper research. It would be fair to say that Twitter is a source of news.
A Social Media Persona
Creating an internet identity helps reporters to distinguish themselves from the competition. If your persona resigns with people, they’ll start following you. Once you have their trust, it is up to you to deliver good journalism.
The Modern Reporter
Social media has become a part of our everyday routine. A journalist should not object to that, but welcome the changes and grow with them. If they know where people spend their time, they know where to report.
News articles on social media should be short. An exciting headline might help to attract the attention of the reader. The text itself should not be too long.
Sometimes the ordinary citizen stumbles upon a journalistic gold mine. By bringing attention to the world, he/she attracted the media, and they can make a proper report. Without these “civil reports,” a lot of local news would pass unnoticed.
Journalists who use Twitter keep their audience up to date with the happenings in the world. Everything on this platform happens in an instant.
Creating a persona can captivate the attention of the people. It is more convenient to follow one reporter than places where news might occur. Journalists have the responsibility to use their expertise in debunking fake news.