Using social media for the public good: journalists' advice

Many journalists have a love-hate relationship with social media, which can facilitate coverage but also undermine the platforms on which they operate. For the Poynter Institute, Northwestern University journalism students Colin Crawford and Ella Kuffour rounded up advice that journalists across the nation have offered for using social media for good. Here's a summary of their article:

1. Make a Twitter account, but set boundaries. . . . Your bio should match the content, and your handle should be identifiable as you. Set aside parts of the day when you won't be on Twitter.

2. Use social media to find sources and ideas for stories, and post breaking news. Also, "Live-tweeting small details such as the energy of the crowd at a concert or photos of protesters’ signs can help draw attention to your posts, as they share a firsthand perspective that might be left out of a finished news story."

3. Network effectively: Follow thought leaders in the field you report on to build a network of expert sources. This includes academics, nonprofit leaders and other journalists.

4. Beware the echo chamber: Follow people across demographics, regions and subjects. Remember that your readership and your Twitter following are not always the same. 

5. Share your work, and that of your colleagues. Student journalists especially appreciate replies and retweets from working professionals.

6. Comment thoughtfully: Your tweets likely aren’t going through an editing or fact-checking process, so be cautious. Remember that you also represent your publication, and your words could hurt the credibility of colleagues covering the subject of your tweet. Humanize yourself online and do not simply be a billboard for your work.

7. Consider using a private account to safeguard against unwanted harassment.

8. Use LinkedIn for Journalists, which has a stronger search feature and offers free training sessions. Ashley Peterson, deputy managing editor of global projects at LinkedIn News, recommends using hashtags sparingly because the algorithm identifies an excess of them as spam.

9. Diversify your online presence with TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. A new Pew Research study found teens are more likely to use video-based platforms. A mere 23% of those surveyed said they ever use Twitter, compared to 95% for YouTube and 67% for TikTok.