Flip the Media
  • Home
  • Art & Design
  • Business
  • Career
  • Culture
  • Seattle Tech
  • Social Media
  • Technology
FtM at SXSW, Social Media, UW Communication Leadership 4

How Journalists Can Make User-Generated Content Work

By Katya Yefimova · On March 9, 2014
Associated Press social media editor Eric Carvin and Digital First Media managing editor Mandy Jenkins after their SXSW Interactive session.

Associated Press social media editor Eric Carvin and Digital First Media managing editor Mandy Jenkins after their SXSW Interactive session.

When news breaks, many media organizations turn to social media to find members of the public who become a reporter’s eyes and ears on the ground.

Collecting information in this way has many challenges – for example, verifying that a photo posted on Twitter is real. The key to solving these challenges is holding contributions from citizen journalists to the same ethical standards as work by professional journalists.

That was the main focus of a SXSW Interactive session by Associated Press social media editor Eric Carvin and Digital First Media managing editor Mandy Jenkins.

“If you don’t hold citizen journalists to the same standards, you are disrespecting social media as a tool for journalism,” Carvin said. Figuring out the best way to apply those standards is the hard part. The panelists shared some helpful tips:

  • If editors want to use a photo posted on social media, they should get in touch with the poster to ask permission and to verify that the poster took the photo. If the poster didn’t take it, he or she may not have a right to give permission. If you can’t reach the poster, it still may be in the public’s best interest to publish the photo, however.
  • When crediting a photo or video, editors need to be as specific as possible to let readers know where the content came from. Saying “Source: Twitter” isn’t good enough.
  • If you are asking citizen journalists to get you information, make sure they understand the ethical guidelines they need to follow. Most importantly, make sure they are safe. For example, are you asking people in a war zone to do something that will put them in danger, like give out their location?
  • Developing relationships with readers online helps build a trusted network of contributors. This means getting to know experts and citizen journalists in your area or industry. Have a list of social media accounts that you know are trustworthy. When readers contribute content, be responsive and treat them respectfully. When news breaks, these same readers are likely going to be the ones to reach out again.

Citizen journalism is only going to grow, and news organizations need to find a way to work with user-generated content, Jenkins said.

“There is a tendency in the journalism world to look down on people who are not journalists,” she said. “But you look at someone […] who runs their own blog, and a lot of times they are operating more ethically than all of us.”

citizen journalismugc
Share Tweet

Katya Yefimova

You Might Also Like

  • Career

    Chance Encounters of the Creative Kind: An IN-NW Talk by Anita Verna Crofts

  • CommLead

    The Rainlight: lighting you up inside and out every time it rains

  • Marketing

    Social Sway: Tips for Working with Social Media Influencers

4 Comments

  • Periodismo y ética en social media | Mangas Verdes says: March 10, 2014 at 8:43 am

    […] la línea de aportar soluciones a esta disfunción, Katya Yefimova da cuenta en Flip the Media de las reflexiones de Eric Carvin, editor de social media de la agencia AP, y Mandy Jenkins, jefa […]

    Reply
  • Doug Pizac says: March 11, 2014 at 4:44 pm

    If you ask a taxi driver to take you to the airport you pay him/her for the service. If you ask a chef to cook your dinner you pay him/her for the service. If you ask a citizen journalist to gather information for you, you should pay him/her for the service. Was that discussed? And if so, how much is the going rate or is the media relying on “free” labor to produce stories and photos for it? Speaking of photos, what dollar amount was offered up as fair price to those you create the images you desire to distribute? Just curious.

    Reply
  • Katya Yefimova says: March 16, 2014 at 11:40 pm

    Hi Doug,

    This particular session didn’t focus on how much citizen journalists should get paid for their work. However, you bring up an important point. Content creators should get paid for their work just like taxi drivers and chefs. But when a journalist reporting on an earthquake asks someone to snap a quick photo with a cellphone, most people won’t have a problem with doing it for free.

    As far as prices for photos, they vary significantly depending on the publication, just like prices other services.

    Hope this answers your question. Thanks!

    Katya

    Reply
  • Periodismo y ética en social media | El Blog de Manuel M. Almeida says: April 21, 2014 at 8:05 am

    […] la línea de aportar soluciones a esta disfunción, Katya Yefimova da cuenta en Flip the Media de las reflexiones de Eric Carvin, editor de social media de la agencia AP, y Mandy Jenkins, jefa […]

    Reply
  • Leave a Reply to Periodismo y ética en social media | Mangas Verdes Cancel reply

    Subscribe & Follow

    Follow @flipthemedia
    Follow on Instagram
    Follow on rss

    CommLead on Social

    Tweets about commlead

    Related posts:

    Online Video Dissected at SXSW Sharon Feder Says For Mashable, Its All About Community SXSW Day 2SXSW Wrap up Day 3 Forging Connections With Art and Technology Jeremiah OwyangCrowds, Companies and Empowerment to the People: Jeremiah Owyang at Seattle Interactive Bates Motel SXSW Fritz KesslerFive Crazy Brand Promotions at SXSW 2015
    • Contact
    • About
    • Team
    • Get Involved
    • Privacy
    • Terms

    Search

    Subscribe

    Powered by

    Communication Leadership Logo
    University of Washington, Department of Communication

    © 2014 Flip the Media | All rights reserved.