RTDNA releases social media guidelines

There is no doubt that social media has become an important element of journalism today. It encourages instantaneous communication between news outlets and the public and is now considered one of many vital news-gathering and news-delivery tools.

The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) has available on its website a list of guidelines for those working with, or planning to work with social media on a regular basis. The guidelines encourage journalists to uphold the same professional and ethical standards when using social media as they would with more traditional news platforms.

The RTDNA stresses the importance of truth, fairness and accountability, when gleaning information online, and when using content from blogs and other social media, to ask critical questions such as:

• Who wrote the comment and what was the motivation for posting it?
• Does the source have the legal right to the material posted?
• Does the poster have a ‘reasonable expectation’ of privacy?
• Is there any other way to get the information?

Journalists should also be prepared to disclose how they got the information and the reasoning behind their methods.

Although these guidelines are intended for those in the radio and television industries, they can be applied to all news gatherers. Visit the RTDNA website for more: http://www.rtdna.org/pages/media_items/social-media-and-blogging-guidelines1915.php?g=37?id=1915