


Peter Horrocks. BBC photo.




And, fundamental to teaching and training journalists in this new form of “social journalism,” should be cutting-edge and industry-relevant academic research in the field of journalism studies.

A collaborative social media research agenda



The process of charting a course for research into journalism and social media at the summit will be collaborative, with researchers in the field (me included) seeking to coordinate an approach that draws on industry expertise and responds to needs identified by the journalists and editors in attendance. We believe journalism research should be informed by journalistic practice and have a professionally relevant purpose. We’re also committed to feeding back our research findings — in an accessible and easily digestible way — to the broader community for input, in keeping with social media ethos and our belief in practically applicable research.

The Twitterization of Journalism

I’m writing a Ph.D. on the Twitterization of journalism, or the transformative impact of social media on the field. My research has so far highlighted the effect of engagement with sources and Jay Rosen’s “people formerly known as the audience,” the ways in which professional practice is being reshaped through real-time reporting, increased transparency, and the conflation of private and professional lives in the space.

As I’ve identified in the course of this research project (some elements of which I’ve previously explored at MediaShift) there are many rich and important research questions emerging in the field — almost at the speed of tweets!

Key Research Themes and Questions

Here are some of my contributions to framing a social media research agenda for journalism grouped under key themes I’ve identified in the process of academic and journalistic research in the field — a process which has included social media crowdsourcing of responses.


• What is the impact of changing verification practices — including crowdsourcing verification — on accuracy in reporting and journalistic credibility?

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• What is the impact (personally and professionally) of the merger of journalists’ personal and private lives and their professional and public lives on social media sites?
• How do so-called audiences react to the blurring of personal and professional lives by journalists through their social media practice? What impact does it have on their views of journalists who use social media “socially?” Are they more or less likely to collaborate with such journalists?


• How do journalists’ interactions with the “people formerly known as audience” impact their research, reporting, and commentary of issues (including framing, source selection, objectivity and verification)?


• What are journalists’ experiences with being confronted with criticism about their work from colleagues, competitors and audiences on social media sites?


• What are the impacts on journalists’ workload, productivity and well-being of 24/7 real-time social media practice and engagement?




• Explore the role of social media in public journalism projects


• Measure outcomes/impacts of training




• How are courts and governments around the world responding to the challenges posed to publishing laws presented by real-time “masses media?”

Share your ideas, help frame the research agenda



