The variety of sources on the Internet presents news media with new problems: Many reports are difficult or impossible to verify; new skills in research and news selection are required. Just like journalists, executives must improve their media skills if they want to use social media professionally.
Barely a day goes by without a “big story” appearing in a classic medium that has its origins in some form of social media. Reader reporters report accidents and police actions with photos, Syrian opposition figures smuggle hidden video films out of the country, bloggers expose minor and major lies by politicians, celebrities or media.
Social media offer journalists an almost inexhaustible source of news from all over the world. At the same time, however, they also pose a major threat to the good reputation of traditional media: The proportion of unverifiable reports, staged scandals or even forgeries that make their way into editorial offices every day is large. If traditional media fall for “ducks,” they risk their reputation as trustworthy sources of news.
It is about nothing less than the truth.
However, traditional media cannot and do not want to simply ignore the sources from Web 2.0. Without blogs, short message services, video platforms and communities, most newsrooms would look pretty old when it comes to speed. The killing of Osama Bin Laden was tweeted long before President Obama appeared in front of the television cameras. But blogs and communities also repeatedly provide decisive sources for a good story when it comes to background information.
A new era has begun for news media: In order to find “good” news in the thicket of reports, they need journalists who combine good research training with strict standards for researching and verifying reports. Because in the end, users don't care where a message comes from: They care about nothing less than the truth.
“The People Formerly Known as the Audience” Headlines The Economist and describes how media users changed from pure consumers to news providers and how editorial offices all over the world deal with them. After an initial defensive stance, printed and electronic media have learned to use social media professionally in everyday life. They have no other choice.
Companies are just as affected as media.
The same applies to companies: The days when you could dismiss and ignore social media as child stuff are gone. Social networks offer companies a variety of valuable information from their stakeholders. Ignoring them can be fatal for a company in the truest sense of the word. Today, managers at all levels are required to use social media just as professionally as journalists. Media literacy is in demand, but in many places it is scarce.
There are still companies that simply suppress the existence of social media and hope to be able to better control the flow of information about their brands and products. Many of them treat their own Internet and social media platforms just as neglectfully. Return channels for consumers are difficult to find and very often barely managed. But there is gossip anyway; instead of transparent information from the manufacturer, consumers simply rely on sources of unknown origin.
IT giant IBM and many others are taking exactly the opposite path: They encourage their employees to actively engage in social media. In addition, they write well understandable guidelines how to use social networks. In the end, companies like IBM win twice: users of social media experience transparency and build trust in the company, and their own employees become reliable brand ambassadors.
Christian Gartmann