I am not one to think that reporters or staffers for elected officials can’t have their own opinions or personal lives. Yet, as some of them have learned the hard way in recent months, when it comes to the use of social media, it may be difficult for readers (or “followers”) to easily differentiate between the personal and the professional, especially in the case of political reps and/or reporters that combine the two on Twitter and in other venues.
A spokesperson for San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders started a separate Twitter account a few months ago to clearly differentiate between what are her professional tweets and her personal ones.
Also several months back, the Union Trib took steps to ensure reporters using Twitter for live coverage stopped using what editors referred to as “tone,” after one of their journalists apparently went a bit too far in tweeting from a San Diego Ethics Commission hearing. (Ironically, the reporter’s tweet coverage of the proceedings was exceptional.)
That said, now that the average age of the news staff at the UT has dropped by something like 20 years, who even knows if there are any rules or guidelines for reporters, most of them probably having used social media longer than they’ve been pubescent.
So, I had to laugh when I read this entry today from @AmandaAttack (tweet name), who partly refers to herself on Twitter as “Writer, social media marketing specialist, editor, SD Union-Tribune”…
“Randomly met one of my bf’s good chick friends from hs and she told me she thinks I’m super pretty. Wow great bday present :)”
No argument here. Happy birthday, Amanda. Maybe I can be your bff (?)
Update 7:10 pm…
The UT’s Ricky Young tweets that I am incorrect and comments below to let me know that I have apparently taken Amanda’s Twitter bio out of context: “Amanda lists herself as ‘SD Union-Tribune Check It Out writer’ because she writes that feature on a freelance basis from time to time.”
Okay Ricky, thanks for the clarification. I stand corrected. I apologize for the error.
For the record, Amanda Strouse’s entire current Twitter bio, then…
“Happy workaholic! Writer, social media marketing specialist, editor, SD Union-Tribune Check It Out writer, day job = HealthyFeetStore.com, SDSU Journalism grad”
For the record further, an unquestionable reporter for the UT, no clarity needed, responded on Twitter to Amanda’s happy news about her bf’s gcf from hs referring to her as sp with the following…
“I think you’re super pretty too!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
Again, no disagreement. And, I don’t even think there’s anything necessarily wrong with a reporter mixing her links to bylined stories and her personal life on the same Twitter account.
All I’m saying is that it’s a brand new world.