User:Amandadivito/sandbox

Background
Social Media has been an emerging trend over the past few years. It has become an element of everyday life that people find themselves engaging in further and further in all aspects of their life whether it be pleasure, news, education or entertainment. Much of what is presented to the public through social media is derived from journalists who write, tweet and work for newspapers and various other organizations. These journalists are submitting information to be read by the public. For this reason, what the journalists present must always be credible in order to make sure that the information they are portraying to the public is in fact true. Because social media has become so widespread and an element that anyone has access to, the question of accountability for social media arises. For this reason, I would like to explore the idea that journalists should be held accountable for the information they produce and accountability for social media is possible by revising the journalistic guidelines in order to fit the changing ways to adapt to social media.

According to Wikipedia, Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Examples of social media include, online blogs, online newspapers, podcasts, email, and social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter. From 1971- 2011, social media has made great advances in all areas from email to social networking and online news. Social media continues to grow and develop within every aspect of today’s culture. This definition of social media refers to social media as an interactive dialogue. Social media can very much be considered an online dialogue in terms of its aspect of social networking but in order to reform this definition, it is more correct to say that social media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to transport information in a quick, simple more digital manner.

Going back to the idea that journalists who present information must be held accountable for what they produce, one must think of what accountability really means. According to Wikpiedia, Accountability refers to is the concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as responsibility,[1] answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving. Wikipedia’s definition conveys accountability as a concept aassociated with taking responsibility of an action. Wikipedia is correct to say that being held accountable for something is taking responsibility of what one has done. Wikipedia’s definition works well with the issue of journalistic accountability in saying that journalists should be held responsible for every piece of work they produce.

The theory that I pose does not lie in the face value definition of each of these terms but in the way that one can go about finding if journalistic accountability for social media is possible. This article will explain how using old journalistic standards of practice can apply to the new ways of social media to ultimately achieve accountability by the social media.

Idea:
In thinking about the practice of journalism whether it be a newspaper journalism, broadcast journalism, or specific areas such as fashion or sports journalism, one must wonder if these journalists have the freedom to write however, and about whatever they desire or if these journalists follow a specific code of practice when producing work. In performed research, it is correct to state that journalists of any kind must follow and adhere to a set code of rules. These rules deal mainly with issues of accountability and work to make sure that what the journalist is producing is true, appropriate and readable. The issue of this code of rules lies within the development of social media. Because social media has become an uncontrollable widespread phenomenon that all people have access to, one wonders if these codes are still in adherence with the new forms of journalistic practice being introduced. Since concepts such as social networking and twitter allow anyone to post, comment and create any piece of work they desire the question of accountability comes in to play. As society can view the disappearing we wonder if the widespread sensation of social media can ever reach a level of accountability that print media has held up for so long. This article will explore the old rules of journalistic accountability and discuss the possibility of the ways that social media is taking upon its own levels of accountability to display that accountability by the social media is in fact possible.

Old Rules For Journalists
As the referral of “the old rules” of journalistic accountability has been presented many times over, I will now detail what exactly these “old rules are.” The Canadian Association of Journalists is a corporation that exhibits journalistic practices for Canadian journalists. The Canadian Association of Journalists presents two lists of guidelines for journalistic practice. The first list is the Ethics Guidelines and the second is the Principles for Ethical Journalism. These lists state the rules for ethical journalism in print. The lists are divided into sections that include accuracy, fairness, privacy, independence and diversity are some examples. This website states that these rule are presented so that they shall be followed by all practicing journalists so that they can hold themselves accountable for their work. The Principles for Ethical Journalism acts as a mission statement written for all journalists. It briefly points out the major areas in which journalists should pay attention to and rules they must follow. Here is the section on Accountability

WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE

·We will answer to the public for our reporting and conduct. ·When we make a mistake, we correct it promptly and ungrudgingly, and in a manner that matches the seriousness of the error.

Full link: http://www.caj.ca/?p=1785

This section displays the journalistic mission statement of always promising to stand by what they produce. It states that they will answer to the public and that they will fix any mistakes and take the mistake in a serious manner. This is an example from one of the sections on the CAJ’s website of the principles of ethics.

Next, the Ethics Guidelines list is an expanded form of the ideas mentioned in the mission statement. This list goes into detail about every aspect of work and every attitude and manner that should be considering when practicing as a journalist. Here is an example taken from the accountability section.

ACCOUNTABILITY

We are accountable to the public for the fairness and reliability of our reporting.

·We serve the public interest, and put the needs of our audience – readers, listeners or viewers – at the forefront of our newsgathering decisions.

·We clearly identify news and opinion so that the audience knows which is which.

·We don’t mislead the public by suggesting a reporter is some place that he or she isn’t.

·Photojournalists and videographers do not alter images or sound so that they mislead the public. When we do alter or stage images, we label them clearly (as a photo illustration or a staged video, for example).

·We use care when reporting on medical studies, polls and surveys, and we are especially suspect of studies commissioned by those with a vested interest, such as drug companies, special interest groups or politically sponsored think tanks. We make sure we know the context of the results, such as sample size and population, questions asked, and study sponsors, and we include this information in our reports whenever possible.

·When we make a mistake, we correct* it promptly and transparently, acknowledging the nature of the error. (See ACCURACY, above.)

Full link: http://www.caj.ca/?p=1776

This expanded list shows a very audience centered approach to the guidelines. These guidelines include aspect of fairness and reliability of reporting, the interest of an audience, honestly, trustworthiness of facts presented, and the correction of an error. All of these aspects are rules that journalists must take into consideration when producing an article or piece of journalistic work. By following these guidelines, journalists can be held accountable for what they produce. With the emergence of social media, it has come to many peoples attention that these guidelines do not necessarily fit anymore for social media sites such as Twitter or Facebook. Many journalists are engaging in the use of these new forms of social media. Should journalists need to apply the guidelines they’ve been using for print culture into the world of social media? Better yet, should these guidelines need to be revised in order to fit the changing realms of the print culture into social media in order to maintain journalistic accountability? Is journalistic accountability even possible within social media?

New Rules For Social Media
To answer the question posed above, because social media has become so widespread with the allowance of anybody being able to post anything anywhere, the guidelines and principles of ethics laid out for the practicing journalists of print, may not necessarily fit the world of social media. The research completed for this investigative study show that many organizations have restructured their guidelines for ethical journalism so that they can be applied to the world of social media. One example of this lies within the example used above- The Canadian Association of Journalists. This organization has added a section to their guidelines titled, “Digital Media: Special Issues.” Below is a list of some of the points that fall under this new category.

DIGITAL MEDIA: SPECIAL ISSUES

·Ethical practice does not change with the medium. We are bound by the above principles no matter where our stories are published or broadcast. We consider all online content carefully, including blogging, and content posted to social media. We do not re-post rumours. (See ACCURACY, above.)

·The need for speed should never compromise accuracy, credibility or fairness. Online content should be reported and edited as carefully as print content, and when possible, subjected to full editing.

·We clearly inform sources when stories about them will be published across various media, and we indicate the permanency of digital media.

·When we publish outside links, we make an effort to ensure the sites are credible; in other words, we think before we link.

Full link: http://www.caj.ca/?p=1776

The first point on this list states that ethical practice is kept the same for online journalism as it is for print journalism. The list goes on to include that all online content is considered carefully. It is interesting to note that specific forms of social media are mentioned. This is interesting because they specifically mention blogging which is a form of social media that is free for anyone to post anything about anything on. The fact that CAJ brings blogging into consideration when discussing the issue of reviewing content shows that they are taking all forms of social media into consideration and applying these rules to everything. The list mentions the value of work should be considered the same as print work and the issue of credibility is also confirmed in this list for the digital. Many similarities are seen and the constant push towards applying the old to the new is evident. The people of the CAJ are using the old guidelines and revising them to include new forms of social media such as blogging to ensure journalistic credibility and keep the idea that journalists should be held accountable for what they produce alive.

Embracing the Change
As the revising of guidelines to fit new forms of social media is present for the Canadian Association of Journalists, one wonders if other organizations have revised rules to participate in the changing norms. CBC is an example of a large company who - like the CAJ, have revised their former guidelines and apply them to social media. CBC has created an entire new document of guidelines for journalists to follow when engaging in social media. The original document recognizes such categories as accuracy, fairness, balance and integrity. The document stresses public interest and trustworthiness of their work. Their mission statement includes diversity of information and forming a trust bond with their audience through their print news. The revised guide for social media journalism begins with a statement explaining the recognition of the fast growing world of social media and the fact that they want to ensure credibility for journalism taking part in these forms of social media as well. The CBC guide continues on to list the different forms of social media they are specifically talking about. A prominent form that is mentioned is the form of blogging. They explain how through blogging journalists will continue to follow these guidelines in order to be held accountable for what they produce. This shows that CBC is a company who is evidently embracing the changing norms and adapting the new ways of social media. The fact that they have adjusted their journalistic standards to accommodate social media shows that they are incorporating social media into their journalistic practices while still making sure that journalists will be held accountable for their work. By adjusting the old guidelines that CBC had for print culture, accountability by social media is possible because new rules are being adopted to ensure the accountability of journalists just like in print journalism.

Blogging as a Problematic Form of Social Media
Although it is evident that many companies are making the switch and revising old journalistic practices to fit new forms, the reoccurring theme of blogging poses problems for accountability and social media. Wikipedia defines blogging as A blog (a blend of the term web log)[1] is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Wikipedia is correct to give this clear definition of blogs. It is a form of social media that allows information to be presented and accessed by anyone. Unlike journalists, bloggers are not bound by guidelines. The questions that arise here are can bloggers be considered journalists? Should bloggers have guidelines in which they must follow to attain full accountability for their work? Since bloggers create information that is available to the public, and may even report or comment on certain stories or events that professional journalists cover, they are still not considered journalists. Journalists are people who have been trained through school and experience in the field. As part of their profession they have guidelines and rules which they must abide by when relaying information out to the public. Bloggers are not journalists since they have not been put through school or training and do not have a set list of rules to follow. Moreover, looking at the evolution of the blogging world, through research lists have been created to give bloggers some idea of guidelines they must follow when publishing work. Yahoo is an example of a large organization that has come up with a list of guidelines to ensure the credibility of their hired professional bloggers. Some main points that occur in the list include being legally responsible for the commentary made, limits to sharing confidential company information, respect, trust and honesty. These themes are evident in the old rules of print journalism and appear again in the revised edition of guidelines for social media journalists. As Yahoo invites blogging to be a part of its company, it includes guidelines to ensure the credibility of information being shared. This shows that bloggers are to be taken accountable for the work they produce. Although not all bloggers have been given guidelines it is important that organizations start to set general rules for all types of bloggers whether it be professional or personal blogging.

Facing the Problem
To clarify, there are two types of bloggers. The first type of blogger is a journalist who engages in blogging for the benefit of the company he or she is working for. This journalist abides by the revised rules of social media journalistic practices while blogging. The second type of blogger is one who blogs for personal enjoyment with no guidelines and takes part in free writing of any topic. Journalistic blogging has been accounted for in the previous section. This section will account for those personal bloggers who write with no guidelines.

The though of imposing guidelines on every type of blogger in the social media world seems very impossible. The fact that Yahoo, a large company has started posing guidelines takes a little bit of impossibility away from the situation- it’s a start. The ideal for this situation would be for the CAJ to create guidelines created especially for the world of online bloggers so that every single blogger would have to follow these rules. As it stands now, people all over the world are free to blog about whatever and whenever they want. The accountability of these bloggers is called into question because of the fact that they are not following any specific form and simply free writing. If bloggers had a set form of rules to follow, every blogger can be ensured accountability making accountability for all types of social media possible! The dangers that arise from the lack of guidelines given to the bloggers all lie in the issue of accountability. Since no serious form of rules is being followed, the material being presented is very questionable and cannot be taken for factual evidence. False information and rumors are created this way. False information getting out to the public is dangerous and because there is no real source or credibility to back this up, people can twist information in any which way they please. If these personal bloggers were forced to abide by a set of rules, the work produced would be of more value to the people who access it. Less rumors would be spread and more valuable information would be available to the world. These rules could be enforced by companies like the CAJ or those who have rule over journalistic practices. This would be done through a database in which every online blogger must register for. In registering, they must agree to the terms and conditions of following the guidelines. Of course this would be all online, but it would be set so that a blog could not be created unless an individual registered through this database and signed off on an agreement. If one wishes to go against these set guidelines they would be terminated from the blogging world. Enforcing a set of guidelines for personal bloggers would be beneficial in making accountability by social media possible.