Social Networks: Rules of engagement for journalists | Redes Sociais: Regras de acção para jornalistas

by luc legay

The New York Times established a set of rules for reporters to deal with the ethical and method issues raised by social networking. The importance of social networks like Facebook, MySpace, or even Twitter for reporting, has become priceless for both media companies and journalists, that benefit from them by promoting their work and gathering information. Yet, to befriend or to expose  users,  use private information, or show a bit too much of the reporters’ personal views can be tricky.  In the still virgin and fertile land of social networking, journalism still hasn’t found the right procedures to develop work under clear ethical guidelines. To help journalists to avoid falling into the many traps posed by the new relations brought about web2.0, the NY Times‘ assistant managing editor, Craig Whitney, has devised a small set of policies, to protect the image, credibility and impartiality of the newspaper. The rules in a nutshell by Patricio Robles: Don’t specify your political views. This includes joining online groups that would make your political views known. Don’t write anything you wouldn’t write in The Times on your profiles, a blog or as commentary on content you share. Be careful who you ‘friend‘. Since this is a tricky subject, The Times suggests that its reports “imagine whether public disclosure of a ‘friend’ could somehow turn out to be an embarrassment that casts doubt on our impartiality.“ Using email addresses found on social networks to contact individuals is fine but the standard rules apply: treat the person fairly and openly and don’t “inquire pointlessly into someone’s personal life.“ The Standards Editor must be consulted before contact is made with a minor. The spanish written blog Paper Papers has an interesting point about the need for these rules:“The text is strict and demanding – and it’s written in a positive tone. You can see that the NY Times is one of the few newspapers that understands in these media there is a very delicate game between credibility and influence. And they care. Good. I say: a journalist is a liberal professional that works for an organization. (…) What matters to us is the right of the citizens to be informed, not my freedom of speech (My opinion!; I like it / I don’t like it; I think it’s good! / I think it’s bad!). In this professional context, working for a news company means to limit personal options that would be open if working to another company – or outside journalism. ” There are too many questions lurking along the way, and they will have to be dealt in a case by case basis.  The potential of reporting using social networks is huge, but so are the perils and the responsibilities. Kelly McBride has left some suggestions for a healthy use of this power at PoynterOnline. Read them, and let me know how they can be useful in your organization or how they fall short for your needs.

O New York Times estabeleceu um conjunto de regras para os jornalistas saberem lidar com as questões éticas e de método levantadas pelas redes sociais. A importância de redes sociais como o Facebook, MySpace, ou mesmo o Twitter para o jornalismo tornou-se valiosíssimo quer para as empresas de media quer para os jornalistas, que ganham ao poder promover o seu trabalho e recolher informação. No entanto, adicionar ou expôr utilizadores, usar informação privada, ou mostrar demasiado a perspectiva pessoal do jornalista pode tornar-se complicado. No ainda virgem e fértil terreno das redes sociais, o jornalismo ainda não encontrou os procedimentos correctos para trabalhar sob uma clara  linha ética. Para ajudar os jornalistas a evitar as várias armadilhas postas pela web2.0, o editor assistente do NY Times, Craig Whitney, definiu uma série de regras, para proteger a imagem, credibilidade e imparcialidade do jornal. As regras resumidas por Patricio Robles: Não especifiquem as vossas inclinações políticas. Isto inclui juntarem-se a grupos online que as demonstrariam. Não escrevam nada nos vossos perfis, blog ou comentários em conteúdos partilhados,  que não escreveriam no The Times. Tenham cuidado com quem adicionam. Como este é um assunto complexo, o The Times sugere aos jornalistas para “imaginar se a revelação de um amigo pode se tornar num embaraço que possa lançar dúvidas sobre a nossa imparcialidade.” Usar moradas de email encontradas em redes sociais para contactar indivíduos é correcto, mas as regras básicas aplicam-se: tratem a pessoa de forma justa e aberta e não “questionem inutilmente sobre a sua vida pessoal.” O Editor de Padrões tem que ser contactado antes de qualquer contacto com um menor. O blog Paper Papers tem um ponto de vista interessante sobre estas regras: “O texto é severo e exigente – e está escrito numa nota positiva. Podemos ver que o NY Times é um dos poucos jornais que compreendem que nestes meios há um jogo delicado entre credibilidade e influência. E eles preocupam-se. Bom. Eu digo: um jornalista é um profissional liberal que trabalha para uma organização.(…) O que nos interessa é o direito dos cidadãos à informação, não a minha liberdade de expressão (A minha opinião!; Gosto / Não gosto; Acho que é bom / mau;) Neste contexto profissional, trabalhar para uma organização noticiosa significa limitar opções pessoais, que estariam abertas noutra empresa – ou noutra actividade fora do jornalismo.” Existem demasiadas questões à espreita pelo caminho, e teremos que lidar com elas numa base de caso a caso. O potencial do jornalismo através das redes sociais é enorme, mas também são os perigos e as responsabilidades. Kelly Mc Bride deixou no Poynter Online algumas sugestões para um uso saudável deste poder. Leiam-nas e digam como é que elas podem ser úteis na vossa organização, ou como são insuficientes para as vossas necessidades.

• La deontología 2.0 del NY Times, Paper Papers

• New York Times‘ Policy on Facebook and Other Social Networking Sites, Craig Whitney

• New York Times creates policies for reporters’ social network use, Patricio Robles

• Roanoke, Poynter Develop Ethics Guidelines for Journalists Using Facebook, MySpace and Twitter

• Don’t post information that could embarrass you or your newsroom, even if you believe your page is private.
• Use the tools, such as limited profiles and privacy settings, to restrict access to your most private information.
• Recognize that your actions can be misinterpreted. You may sign up for a group to get story ideas, but people may see you as a fan. State your intentions often, in wall posts and other notifications. When appropriate, tell groups when you are signing up that you are looking for story ideas.

Post suggested by | Post sugerido por

Mary Jo Zilveti

Poll: resultados sondagem redes sociais

Há uns dias fiz aqui uma pequena soundagem para saber que redes e ferramentas sociais usamos na web. Aqui estão os resultados:

Links 30-09-08

Once and for all – Jeff Jarvis BuzzMachine

Bloggers aren’t journalists. True and false. The Pew Internet & American Life survey says only a third of bloggers consider what they do journalism. But today any witness can perform an act of journalism, giving us more eyes on society – which journalists should celebrate.

People are rude on the internet. True. They’re rude in life, but perhaps more so online, thanks to anonymity. But we all know who the idiots are. The smart response is to ignore the stupid.

The internet has no ethics. True. It no more has a moral code than a telephone wire, a car, or a knife. We who use it bring the ethics and laws we live under already.

Opinion: The integrated newsroom business model doesn’t add up – Editor’s Weblog

There is an interesting article today on the Monday Note site today that examines the new newsroom business model. The author, Frederick Filloux, was part of the team behind 20 Minutes and spent 12 years at Liberation, ultimately becoming the Editor-In-Chief. He now works as editor for the Norwegian group Schibstead.

He puts together some insightful figures about the cost of a newsroom:

* Cost of a journalist (including benefits and expenses = €60,000
* Total cost of running a newsroom =  €10 million
* Per month costs = €830,000
* Average revenue per unique visitors per month appears = €0,10 to €0,25
* €830,000 costs requires 8.3 million Unique Visitors per month to break-even
* French 20 Minutes made €45m in 2007. Each reader generates €18 per year for the newspaper.
* Online site readers generate approximately €1,2 per year (if well-read site)

Newspapers: Vanishing faster than you think – Ryan Sholin, Invisible Inkling

These are the basics, the givens, of the post-industrial knowledge economy:

1. There is no mass audience.
2. There is no barrier to publication.
3. The cost of operating legacy organizations increases indefinitely as profit decreases indefinitely.
4. There is nothing cyclical about this change.

Trifecta for success in the new new journalism – Mindy McAdams

There’s more to this brave new world of journalism than technology skills.

Business sense will play a large role in the rest of your career, whether you are a journalism student or a seasoned veteran.

If journalism students graduate without an understanding of how editorial, business, and technology work together, “you have not prepared them for the world they are entering,” Mitch Gelman, senior vice president of CNN.com, told a group of journalism educators in Los Angeles on Friday.

Why ‘Friending’ Will Be Obsolete – Jeremiah Owyang

Every few days, (or hours) you probably get a friend request of some sort, the good news is, someday, this will not be relevant.

I just got finished watching this video of Renato of “E”, a device and software platform that allows you to phsyically gesture in the real world with people you meet that you are friends. Remember palm pilot back in 2001 that let you ‘beam’ contact info to each other? Similiar to that, but now with more ’social’ context.

Thinking forward a few years, “friending people” whether in Facebook, Plaxo, or will no longer be an activity that we’ll have to do. Intelligent websites (and their data) will be able to determine who our friends are from our behaviors, context, and preferences, without us verbally (or physically) having to indicate so.

Social Networking Wars

dica de | tip by @remixtures

Hilariante video no Current.com: o que acontece quando somos disputados pelas nossas redes sociais.

Really funny video at Current.com: what happens when social networks fight over us.

ver video | watch video

Estudo sobre Redes Sociais | Social Network Research Report

Quem, como e porquê se usam (ou não) os sites sociais, são as questões que o relatório da Ofcom procura responder, numa tentativa de se compreender as atitudes e comportamentos dos utilizadores (ou não) perante as redes sociais na Internet.

Who, how and why are social websites used (or not), these are the questions that the Ofcom report tries to answer, in an attempt to understand the attitudes and behaviors of users (or not) towards internet social networks.

The rapid growth of social networking that has been observed over the last two to three years is indicative of its entry into mainstream culture and its integration into the daily lives of many people. In parallel with this, there has also been considerable media coverage of the growth of social networking, its potential positive outcomes and concerns about the way that some people are engaging with it.

Social Networking [pdf]
Full print version

Via Ponto Media