Social media: how journalists should present themselves

Social media has presented opportunities and drawbacks to journalism but there are some ways to stand out as a credible source to the public for news

One of the biggest concerns of any journalist should be not only how they use social media to get their content to the public but also how they present themselves to the public. Who would trust the words of a journalist with no credentials or worse yet nothing written in their about section of Twitter?

If unaffiliated with a particular organization, I would put journalist, reporter, freelancer, etc. so people know your Tweets will likely be news oriented. Also, letting people know areas of interest is a good heads-up so the public can seek you out as a good source for news on gender, politics, music, entertainment, etc. For example, my Twitter about section says (below):

I want people to know if they want sports news then I am definitely not the person to seek out for information. Also, because I am not affiliated with a news organization and am still a student, I made sure to specify that I am a journalism student at Wayne State University.

Being aloof or mysterious isn’t all that much of a draw. The more open you are with the public about the work you do the higher the chance of gaining the public’s trust. I’m not saying blast posts about what you’re doing at every second of everyday but instead be open about interests and open to dialogue with those replying to tweets or commenting on blog posts.

Because I view Instagram as a more laid back social media, my info is more laid back to match the setting. I post pictures involving anything from news, music, art, blogs or lastly some personal things to show I am human and not a robot.

Notice on both profiles I have links to one of the blogs I created. I know if I put a blog post up about the death of a popular rock star, people are going to look at Twitter and know within five minutes of it happening rather than clicking on my blog story unless they want the details. The Guardian did a story in November about how social media has effected journalism. Even though blogs are great for getting your content out to the masses, it is important to keep up with the social media machine because it’s the first source people go to in order to find answers.