BBC begin to use social media sites as 'primary' source of information
Denis Filed Under: Labels: Citizen Journalism, Economy, Interactivity, Multimedia, old guard journalism, Social networking
The news that the BBC is telling its staff to embrace social networking sites in news gathering is the last sign that news sources are fundamentally changing. Peter Horrocks, director of Global news said: "If you don't like it, if you think that level of change or that different way of working isn't right for me, then go and do something else, because it's going to happen. You're not going to be able to stop it."
If the BBC are to use social networking to improve their news output they must not just throw caution to the wind, It must be embraced with a certain level of intelligence and sobriety, if not caution. The old journalistic values must still be held firm by newsrooms. Facts must still be checked and verified, sources must be reliable. Twitter and facebook are reliable, but they also pose dangers with regards to news gathering. It is incredibly easy for romours, hearsay and conjecture.
It is undeniable that social networking will become an invaluable news source for newsrooms the world over, but the profession must not throw caution to the wind when embracing this relatively new phenomenon.
If the BBC are to use social networking to improve their news output they must not just throw caution to the wind, It must be embraced with a certain level of intelligence and sobriety, if not caution. The old journalistic values must still be held firm by newsrooms. Facts must still be checked and verified, sources must be reliable. Twitter and facebook are reliable, but they also pose dangers with regards to news gathering. It is incredibly easy for romours, hearsay and conjecture.
It is undeniable that social networking will become an invaluable news source for newsrooms the world over, but the profession must not throw caution to the wind when embracing this relatively new phenomenon.
