“AEJMC: Social Media in the Classroom”

Written in response to: http://aejmc.blogspot.com/2010/05/social-media-and-copy-editing.html

Coursework for Penn State University Journalism class

2.22.2011

            With the advancements in technology and the recent increase in popularity of social media, copy editors are finding new challenges in their line of work. One way that social media is changing the world of copy editing is in the classroom. In this case, social media is becoming a convenient and widely accepted means for receiving and sharing news. Many businesses and news sources are embracing social media and online news blogs in order to break news faster and therefore keep up in the fast paced world we live in now. With this increased speed in reporting, emphasis on copy editing proficiency is vital.

            Associate Professor at Howard University Yanick Lamb notes that they are “placing a greater emphasis on Interactive Editing” for print news sources as well as those who use the Internet. A great point is made that it’s still imperative to emphasize the importance of high journalistic standards to keep students away from the glamour of the speediness that can surround breaking a story via twitter. Quality should not be sacrificed at the expense of being the first to report something.

            The teachings from this article can be applied to students who aren’t interested in going the route of Copy Editor because better journalists stem from a solid foundation of self-editing skills. Speaking from experience (I write for OnwardState.com) I can attest to this fact: often times I am responsible for writing my own headlines and excerpts, and it’s always expected that our posts are to be well-written – specifically the later you submit a post the cleaner it should be as to make less work for the editors.

            One point from the article I really connected with was when the author writers that journalism is a “two-way conversation with readers”. I thought this was a great point to make, especially if a journalist wants to be successful, because it encourages the interactive side of providing news. A story doesn’t die once it is reported – there’s always something more to follow up with whether it be a response from a reader or more information after the fact. With the increase of social media and online conversations, journalists and editors can create and maintain relationships with their readerships through actual back and forth dialogue. Some of the examples from the article such as StumbleUpon, Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube are proven means for disseminating information, especially to the younger upcoming generations. One client that wasn’t mentioned in the article is Yammer. This is an online forum that businesses or organizations can use that looks similar to a stream of Facebook updates – but members can only be invited to join. Within these communities the organizations can form groups, generate different feeds depending on topics, designate positions, private message each other, and overall form an online newsroom (which is what we do at OnwardState).

            The author says that Twitter helps students focus on the main point of a story because a tweet can only consist of 140 characters. This helps writers and editors realize the point of a story, and allows them to make it in a more concise manner. Examples from the New York Times, Washington Post, and Heart & Soul magazine show how these organizations utilize the culture of twitter to spread their information. The article then goes on to provide examples of different exercises teachers can do to help students realize how they can utilize different social media tools for journalistic purposes.