REPORTER NOTEBOOK: SOCIAL MEDIA BOUNDARIES

Recent conversations with news directors and talent got us thinking about social media ‘rules’.

Over the years, pressure has grown for talent to grow their social media presence. And the way it has broken down, based on importance, is like this…

1) Twitter – eh, not really important but good to use for random thoughts, breaking news, active stories

2) Facebook – post your stories here. Older crowd

3) Instagram – post alllll about your personal life.

This is where it gets tricky. Insta.

We feel like it’s our duty – based on experience and also what we know from talking to news managers – that talent understand THERE ARE BOUNDARIES. These boundaries are important for a couple reasons… we want you to have a long and credible career and secondly, to keep you safe.

Here are three things we would consider if we were you before you post either on stories on on your feed:

1) Remember at the end of a day you’re a journalist. We don’t need to know every single thing about your personal life, it could dilute your credibility and also its just not consistent with your image as a defender of the first amendment.

2) If you’re posting about an event, an outing, vacation, whatever… do it after you’ve left. It’s a safety issue.

3) We love a drink, a few even. But if you’re going to post on stories about a night out, think about a filler slide before you post from the desk or the field the following day/morning. It gives us whip lash! All we can think about is, ‘is that person still drunk? It’s only been five hours!’ Maybe we’re old, but hopefully you catch the drift. The viewer is probably thinking the same thing.

We’re keeping this post free from the paywall for 24 hours.

Share with friends, hopefully you can inspire them to think before they post too. If you have any other thoughts, email us. Tips@newsblues.com.