Patuxent Publishing political editor Bryan Sears said he wouldn’t post anything to Facebook or other social networking sites that “I wouldn’t want my mother to see.”
Be careful about posting family pictures as well, Sears cautioned.
He and fellow Region 2 conference panelist Sean Mussenden, a Web developer and adjunct professor at Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, agreed that a reporter’s postings should be professional, not personal, but also should show “some personality, some humanity” to connect with sources.
Sears and Mussenden warne
d against reporters showing their hand in politics, saying they should not side with a candidate, state their party affiliation or post other political opinions on their Facebook page. That goes without saying for political reporters, the two said, but they aren’t convinced reporters on other beats should, either.
“Be very cognizant of what you put up. … It’s the modern version of not wearing an Obama T-shirt or button,” said Sears, who added that if he “friends” a Democratic political group on Facebook, he "friends" the Republicans — and only to cultivate sources. He feels it is wise to post a disclaimer: “I’m a reporter. Friending an elected official or cause is not an endorsement.”
Panelist Alicia Shepard, ombudsman for NPR, said there is "no safety” on the Internet. For example, if a student posts a photo of himself wildly drunk at a party, there is more than a good chance a prospective employer will see it. “Thirty percent of employers vet you by looking at Facebook,” she said.
Shepard said the code of ethics for news operations, like NPR and The New York Times, apply equally to old and new media. As the Times tells reporters, “Don’t editorialize if you work for the news department.”
Moderator Chris Harvey, who teaches at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, and the speakers said journalists must use common sense and possibly ask a supervisor before posting to social networking sites.
The Region 2 conference was held on March 27 at the University of Maryland at College Park.
A morning session on mobile news reporting took place in the Knight building’s “news bubble” — a cutting-edge lab equipped with at least two dozen Apple computers with the latest technology.
Assistant professor Ron Yaros took participants through various applications for smartphones. He demonstrated how one TV reporter used his smartphone to cover a trial — in a state where cameras are allowed in the courtroom — and get footage of the defendant leaving the courtroom and her refusal to answer questions. It aired on the evening news. The video he captured with the smartphone also could be immediately uploaded to the Web.
Yaros said reporters can do mobile blogging, as well as mobile audio, video and live broadcasting. He said journalists should use Twitter and Facebook to share updates on stories and build relationships with their audience.
Treat Twitter like a news service, he suggested. Today the question for journalists is “how do you tell a story” using all the multimedia platforms available, Yaros added.