In October 2022, billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk took ownership of Twitter and proceeded to engage in outright hostility towards members of the media on the site. Journalists and everyday users alike responded by leaving Twitter and exploring alternatives like Mastodon, a federated microblogging service that promised news outlets of all sizes and their consumers more control over their social media circumstances.
The new age of social media for journalists consists of a wide variety of platforms and formats, each of which attract different user bases and have different relationships with press. Below, you will find a guide to navigating this new social media landscape, developed by researchers at Northwestern University’s Knight Lab Studio.
Social media platforms and journalistic operations may vary wildly, but whether you’re a freelance reporter building a name for yourself on TikTok or a nationwide news operation trying to reach the masses via Facebook, there are a few key aspects of a successful, holistic social media strategy you should certainly keep in mind.
📝 Verify Information
Social media can be a valuable tool for news gathering, but it is crucial to verify the information before reporting it. Due to the viral nature of social media, misinformation and rumors can spread quickly. Take the time to fact-check and cross-reference information from reliable sources before sharing it with your audience.
🛠️ Use Social Media as a Tool, Not the Sole Source
While social media is a valuable tool for news gathering and audience engagement, it should not replace traditional journalistic practices. Use social media as a complement to other research methods, interviews, and fact-checking processes.
A fact-checked post on Instagram
Washington Post Reporter Kasha Patel’s Twitter bio
Scientists and journalists Patel follows on Twitter
👔 Build a Professional Profile
Establish a professional presence on social media platforms. Use a clear and recognizable profile picture, write a concise and informative bio, and link to your publication or website. This helps establish credibility and makes it easier for your audience to find and engage with you.
🔗 Cultivate a Network
Actively engage with your audience and cultivate a network of trusted sources and contacts on social media. Follow experts, influencers, and organizations relevant to your beat. Participate in conversations, ask plenty of questions, and seek out a range of diverse perspectives. A strong network can provide valuable insights, story ideas, and potential sources to propel your reporting forward.
💫 Be Transparent
Clearly disclose your professional affiliation and purpose when engaging on social media. This helps maintain transparency and builds trust with your audience. Avoid any conflicts of interest and be aware of the ethical considerations associated with endorsing products, services, or political views.
🛠️ Use Social Media as a Tool, Not the Sole Source
While social media is a valuable tool for news gathering and audience engagement, it should not replace traditional journalistic practices. Use social media as a complement to other research methods, interviews, and fact-checking processes.
Journalist Cleo Abram discusses her interview software on TikTok.
📱 Adapt to Platform-Specific Practices
Different social media platforms have unique features and best practices. Tailor your content and engagement strategies to suit each platform. For example, Twitter's character limit requires concise and engaging writing, while Instagram's visual nature may call for compelling images or videos.
In order to create guidelines for how journalists should use social media, we first have to take a look at how they, and the general public, have been using social media. Specifically, how has Twitter, the most popular social media platform for news engagement, changed over the years, and how do its more nascent competitors, like Mastodon, work in comparison?
How is social media typically used?
Across the gamut of social media sites available to news creators and news consumers, there is no shortage of differences in how the aforementioned core strategies can and should be implemented. Thus, here we’ve compiled a list of relevant social platforms, from Facebook to TikTok to LinkedIn, and how best to use them.
Below is a list of sources for further reading regarding social media, both its current landscape and ideal methods to use it, as well as a bibliography of sources cited throughout our guide.