Using social networks as reporting tools
If you had to find someone stuck in traffic on an expressway during a snow storm for a story, could you do it?
Chicago Tribune reporter James Janega did.
Finding that source could have been a difficult task, but James knew he had options. He logged in to Twitter, did a quick search, and soon found a woman who was tweeting while sitting in traffic. He messaged her on Twitter and soon they were chatting by phone. Within minutes James had the source and information he needed.
Social networks like Facebook and Twitter are excellent resources when searching for sources and story ideas. Of course, once a source is found on a social network, it’s the journalist’s responsibility to do the proper checks to verify who that person claims to be, and follow up with a proper interview in person or over the phone. Nevertheless, these sites can help you find folks by interest, profession, location and more, which means it’s increasingly important for us to come up with best practices when using these sites.
Dozens of organizations, including The Associated Press and the BBC, have created their own social media policies. If you’re interested in using social networks to find sources, I’d recommend chatting with your editor to learn more about your own newsroom’s view on this. At the Chicago Tribune we have our own social media guidelines that I view as best practices. Many of the guidelines echo our newsroom editorial principles: truth and integrity, objectivity and accountability, and proper sourcing.
If your newsroom embraces the idea of finding sources via social networks, you’re in luck. There are a number of sites that will help you find exactly who you’re searching for.
6 easy ways to find sources:
Twitter search – This is the advanced version of the Twitter search you can perform on your Twitter homepage. You can search for folks based on Tweet keyword, by username, by location, date, attitude and more. This is your best option if you’re trying to find that person stuck in traffic.
If you like Twitter search, also try Twazzup. It’s similar to Twitter search, but it also displays popular links related to that search term, suggested users, news, photos and more.
Twellow – “The Twitter Yellow Pages” allow you to search for users by their bios’ keywords and general interests. It’s perfect for finding folks interested in a certain beat or hobby, like photography.
Try Twellowhood to search by interest and location.
If you like Twellow, also try WeFollow, which also lists users by interest.
Facebook search – Facebook has been working on its search abilities the past few months, and now it allows you to search by people, posts by friends (including photos, links, status updates, notes and more), groups and Web results.
Have you used these tools before? Do you have your own favorites? Let us know!
Amanda Maurer is the online and social media producer at the Chicago Tribune, and blogs at acmaurer.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at acmaurer.