Mapping the emergence of social media in everyday journalistic practices

Abstract

While there is much research to describe journalists’ use of social media to source and disseminate news about major events and interact with global audiences, there are few studies that focus on journalists’ use of social media within everyday news practices. This article uses qualitative surveys to provide a preliminary understanding of how journalists in Australia are utilising social media content in everyday news sourcing and reportage. The purpose of this study is, first, to understand journalists’ perceptions of how and why they use social media to source news and information and, second, to understand the organisational and professional implications for news sourcing in social media-enabled environments.