Social media has become an indispensable and legitimate tool for journalists who connect with their audience faster and easier than before.
How does this instantaneous and continuous connection affect the journalistic process? According to a recent study, the audience is an influential player in all aspects of the journalistic process.
The study was led by Patrick Ferrucci, an assistant professor of journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder, who conducted in-depth phone interviews with 53 working digital journalists to understand how they use social media when writing stories.
The study found that social media has altered content production, news sourcing, and information dissemination. Actors such as opinion leaders and the audience have a hand in every step of the journalistic process. While digital journalists still make the final decision, these actors hold more power than they once had.
To read more: https://doi-org.umiss.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/0739532918761069
Ferrucci, P. (2018). Networked: Social media’s impact on news production in digital newsrooms. Newspaper Research Journal, 39(1), 6–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739532918761069
