How Is Traditional Media Using Social Media Today?

I spent 15 years in the news media, most of it working for radio stations in Edmonton, Alberta as a reporter, anchor and talk show host, along with management positions. "The biz" is much different today than it was then and one of the biggest changes is the way reporters can reach out to their readers, viewers and listeners in social media, something we couldn't do in the 80's and 90's when I was in the media.

I notice more often how reporters and media outlets are asking their audience for responses to questions they're posing on Twitter and Facebook. Many are about opinions on issues of the day, but others ask if people have had negative experiences because of government policy decisions, or customer service by companies. I have seen media outlets and reporters ask questions such as "Have you been affected by the hiring of a temporary foreign worker"? Or, "If you’ve had a bad airline experience, we’d like to hear about it."

The clear intent of the media is to find people who are angry about something and are prepared to talk about it with the media. This is a creative use of social media by traditional media and I’m not blaming anyone for doing it, but it does serve as another reminder to companies and other organizations that some negative media publicity could be just one Tweet or Facebook post away.

The media also follows the social media accounts of newsmakers and organizations. A labour union, as an example, could make some comments on its Facebook page about a labour dispute and media outlets would be able to go on air with a story based solely on that social media post. They might also call for additional information and an interview, but I remind organizations that I work with that when they post anything newsworthy on social media to make sure they’re prepared to speak about it with the media.

Reporters are also told to “feed” social media. It results in the media outlet’s social media accounts becoming more popular and that organization gaining clout in social media.  As a result, many journalists will report on a story they’re covering first through their social media channels before they go on air with it. Stations are actually giving a preference to reporting the news first on social media before it appears on the radio or TV news, or in the newspaper. Due to competition they really have no other choice, but if a TV journalist provided several details from a 10:00am news conference on social media right away, what’s the need to watch the report on television, especially if it’s eight hours later?

Reporters for TV, radio and newspapers are using social media as a source for news. There’s nothing wrong with that, but newsmakers need to know it’s happening and how to react.

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