Journalist Use of Social Media: Guidelines for Media Organizations.

Abstract

Basic journalistic tenets such as transparency, gatekeeping and objectivity were considered at risk due to the rise of use of social media by journalists and news media. Resultantly, large numbers of news agencies have started issuing provisions and guidelines for their staff to manage their social media use. This study explores the complex relationship of selected news organizations with given use of social media. The content analysis is applied on the guidelines for the use of social media obtained from 12 news organizations, and their link with basic journalism principles is explored. The key purpose of the current study is to provide insight for scholars and Arab media management to have better understanding of journalists use of social media and how these guidelines are implemented by various leading news agencies. Practically, the observations in the study are helpful for news organizations who are defining their provisions or rules for social media use by their journalists.