DEBATE: Is social media changing the face of news?

It depends on your target readers Since the introduction of the Internet, the world debate on the role of journalists and the state of today’s media continues to be one of the most trending topics. With just the click of a mouse, so much information can now be available to the public, but how do media professionals maintain their authority over the news? Anyone with a smart phone can now record a video or write a post and upload it to the internet. Where does that leave a journalist? Is social media changing the face of news? Has it turned journalism into some lazy profession, and is it stealing the pride and honour most of us used to derive from being journalists? I don’t think so. Social media is a source of news but there are so many other sources. What social media has done is transform the way journalists work, share their stories and interact with the public. Transform yes, but change? Not really. Social media has done a great job of empowering anyone with a smart phone to break a story, but there will always be high demand for quality reporting. A video posted on social media can break a story but what real news consumers want is the story behind the video and it most definitely won’t end with just a caption. While journalists may not all hold social media in high regard, we do like what it has done for our work. The consumer perception of real time news is changing, thanks to the growing use of social media to report news. Our readers now expect to receive news in real time and eagerly look forward to constant updates. The number of blogs and social media networks has changed the way that journalists are able to operate, but it can also be seen as a valuable tool that can be capitalised on by journalists when they are gathering news, engaging the audience and of course, it too, can be another platform for content. Instead of us sitting here and whining about how social media is stealing our business and almost rendering our profession ‘not that important’, let us jump onto the opportunities that come with it and capitalise on the dividends that we can potentially reap from it. nash.bishumba@gmail.com It’s the fastest way to get news It’s safe to say that social media has become such a powerful source that people always get to know about something from social media first and then wait for details through other news channels such as radio, TV or newspapers. For example, when City of Kigali announced that they were introducing the first car-free zone in the country, news was first read on Twitter and WhatsApp social platforms. When it comes to entertainment circles, we all know how difficult it can be to keep up with celebrities, their lifestyle or developments in their lives. But, social media has proven to be the source used to keep up with them. From Prince William’s engagement announcement to Michael Jackson’s death, all have come through social media first. However it should be noted that social media, although it is useful as a source of information, it requires prudent verification as some information might turn out to be false. For people, especially journalists, using online resources as a Bible rather than a starting point is absurd. Anything got from social media should be fact-checked and double-checked like any other source. Millions of people share news on social networks and it’s great for a journalist to keep an eye out for a potential tip and then investigate further. However, investigating a story in our fast-paced world is creating a problem for media houses on how to balance the tension between the speed with which news is created and the need for verification. But then, I guess reputation matters most. Always consider who your source is; have they lied to you before? If he has, he’s probably not telling you the truth. It takes the same rule that applies to your health to apply to your reporting; get a second opinion. A new development is that social media has also become a substitute for news content. It has created a line where media houses can report news and also report people’s opinions about the news. A Twitter campaign to try and change something only really becomes news if it actually achieves change. Anyone remembers the #ALS challenge? Social media made it a source for a news story as well as a tool for change. Bottom line, social media’s credibility shouldn’t be doubted but rather, people should make effort to investigate and establish facts. More people have access to the Internet and social media platforms and in the future it will be a powerful tool as a source of information. It remains important that news tips provided on social media should be verified and subjected to scrutiny. dean.karemera@newtimes.co.rw

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DEBATE: Is social media changing the face of news?