BBC College of Journalism Blog - A vigorous and robust discussion about journalism from every perspective.
- Claire Wardle |
- Thursday 19 May 2011, 08:04
I had the idea for today's BBC Social Media Summit (#bbcsms) over six months ago. I wanted to organise an event that would lead to concrete outcomes. I've been to conferences where I've left feeling inspired, challenged, with a pocket full of business cards, but then found that little changed when I returned to work the next day.
This summit, both the closed event for active social media producers today and the open conference tomorrow, has been designed with potential outcomes in mind from the very start.
Some of the outcomes I see emerging are:
- A universally accepted set of verification guidelines for social media material
- An accepted ethical framework for using sensitive material from social networks
- Advice for managing the legal issues related to privacy and defamation
- Disaster/emergency networks that enable media organisations to work together during serious crises, in terms of disseminating information most effectively
- The creation of research partnerships so academics can gain access to media professionals, newsrooms and data sets.
Do these ideas have legs? Do you think these would help you in your work? Do you think they are necessary?
There clearly needs to be discussion around guidelines versus laws versus frameworks versus best working practice. But, putting that aside, I believe an initiative in this area would increase levels of trust, transparency and relevance, ultimately resulting in stronger journalism.
Summit attendees and the community watching online might decide these ideas are pipedreams - unworkable, unsustainable, and just down right unrealistic. If that is the consensus, I'll be pleased that at least we put these suggestions out and tried.
But maybe there will be more than that. Maybe someone from a news programme will welcome a researcher in for two months to study audience engagement via social media. Maybe representatives from the major UK broadcasters will meet at the coffee bar and agree the need for an emergency planning session to discuss what to do if the worst did happen. Or maybe someone from a journalism think-tank will draft some tentative guidelines around the ethical practices used around social networks.
Worst case scenario: we have some great discussions. Best case scenario: we actually do some things together.
The BBC Social Media Summit (#bbcsms) is being held on the 19 and 20 May.
Claire Wardle is a freelance trainer and researcher working with the BBC College of Journalism and specialising in social media. She was previously at Cardiff University School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, where she holds an honorary lecturer position.
- Post categories:
- Editorial
About Discussion on CoJo
A vigorous and robust discussion about journalism from every perspective.
Recent Posts
- The courage of Marie Colvin
- Google's new privacy policy: where's the real debate?
- Be paranoid - protecting sources in the digital age
- Pinterest: test driving the latest self-expression engine
- Tea with the Free Syria Army, and our government minder
- My tabloid work wasn't journalism - just entertainment within pre-defined narratives
- Print and broadcast media converge on mobile
- The New York Times' evolving social media strategy
- BBC Radio York
- Journalists need a workable definition of 'the public interest'
- Social media training is getting results for the BBC
- The BBC must apply usual journalistic standards to race stories
- We need more nuanced reporting of race from the BBC
- Google Hangouts - a new tool for journalism?
- Aggers not out after tech breakdown, thanks to Skype
- A triumph of investigative theatre
- News priorities: Why is the US not for us?
- Happy birthday to us
- Should journalists want Google to get personal?
- Why I left Facebook
Comments
Sign in or register to comment.
The social media summit was excllent. As a way forward, I have the following suggestions.
1. Establish a network of academics , journalists and social media experts, that will be exploring the opportunities, challenges and other issues related to social media, with a view to enhancing the quality of social media output around the world.
2. Establish a masters degree programme on social media and cultural change by BBC College of Journalism and another reputable institution. This will help in bringing researchers and journalists together. It will also create a platform for recruiting journalists into various newsrooms with an understanding of social media.
3. I equally suggest that similar summit should be organised as soon as practically possible; but rather than making oral presentations, stakeholders should present papers that can be compiled into a book which will help in increasing the literature on social media.
Jameel
BBCHausa
Complain about this comment
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Despite the hard work that clearly went into organising the summit I left very disappointed. There was far too strong a focus on major news organisations and much of the time it felt like a BBC love-in rather than one aimed at all journalists, producers and community managers.
Maybe I misunderstood the marketing but I assumed the summit was going to discuss social media and journalism in a much wider context and not just focus on how it relates to what most people at the event kept describing as 'mainsteam media', a phrase I hate as I pointed out when I managed to get the mic during the late session!
Even the technology session which did focus on something different was all about how big broadcasters and print publications are affected. There was nothing during the day which appealed to or reflected us in the specialist publishing sector which represents millions of people.
If the BBC really wants the inclusivity and change that was constantly referred to at the summit, an event needs to be organised which doesn't just focus on the likes of the BBC, Sky News and the Guardian.
Dan Martin, BusinessZone
Complain about this comment
View these comments in RSS