Tag: Journalism

Blogging, Journalism, PR, Social Media

Twitter: A useful tool or the downfall of journalism and PR?

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Okay, admittedly, the title of this week’s post is a bit dramatic and also implies that there is a clear answer. Ultimately, I land somewhere in the middle.

Twitter has its uses, both for journalism and PR. As Forbes suggests, PR professionals can use the platform for announcements, news releases and contest launches among other tactics. In a 2012 post, the late Steve Buttry laid out 10 reasons why journalists should be on Twitter, all of which seem valid. I particularly identified with his top reason, finding breaking news. As Campus Life Editor for Seton Hall University’s The Setonian, I routinely look for stories on social media. 

However, to put it bluntly, there is a risk of getting caught up in the platform and becoming lazy. Based on experience, I can more easily relate to how this affects journalism as opposed to PR. Most journalists cite Twitter as a key place to look for sources. Many articles even have embedded tweets in them as a means of gauging public response to news.  However, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) many accounts on Twitter are in fact bots and not real people.

Twitter pic
Photo via Unsplash/Marten Bjork

There is a way to check on this. For example, running account name through Botometer can help determine if the account is real or not.  Since bots are usually designed to participate and share in the spread of propagandized information, a journalist who does not verify his or her source could unwittingly be aiding in this goal.

However, if a journalist or PR professional is careful about their source aggregation, Twitter can doubtlessly be a useful tool. Individuals in both professions can find a litany of ways to gain followers and spread their messages and stories. One way to gain followers on Twitter is to add your name to a directory, as per the Forbes article. If  people want information on a certain topic, you can be listed as a go-to source. If the content is engaging enough, you will likely have yourself a new follower. Forbes also mentions the benefit of adding a twitter widget to your blog, like the one on mine. If you regularly keep your Twitter account updated with regard to upcoming posts and news, visitors to the blog will see that and may follow you to keep updated.

Even though, at the outset of this post, I said I landed somewhere in the middle on Twitter being a must or not for journalism and PR, I will conclude by saying that there are far too many benefits to the platform to ignore it completely. Another way to look at the fields I just mentioned is to point out that they both involve communication. Social media, whether it be Twitter; Facebook; Instagram or whatever platform to be introduced in the years to come, has become the way billions across the globe communicate and connect. To ignore this change is to be in the dark when it comes to the media industry.

On that note, for the latest on what is happening with Julie’s Corner be sure to follow me on Twitter at @SHUSocialJulie.  If you’re interested to learn more about what’s happening at Seton Hall, check out the blog I run with a classmate, Campus Rundown! We can be reached at @CampusRundown.

Feature

Students broaden their views interning abroad

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Erick Agbleke, a SHU student in his second year pursuing a master’s degree in diplomacy and international relations, applied to three summer internships last October to fulfill a degree requirement. His first choice was to work with the U.S. Department of State; his second, the U.S. Embassy in France; and he didn’t think his third choice would pan out. He wasn’t called for a second round of interviews and Agbleke said he thought that’s where it would end.   

To his surprise, he got a call within a couple months of applying saying that he was selected to work in Togo, a country on the west coast of Africa and Agbleke’s birthplace. Agbleke left the country at the age of 13. He explained that this internship abroad opened his eyes to what diplomacy is like in practice and allowed him to be an agent of progress in the region, both in terms of U.S. relations and Togo’s own political/economic obstacles.

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Students packed their bags to spread diplomacy overseas.

“Being able to witness diplomacy from the front row seat is pretty awesome,” he said. Agbleke worked alongside the Togolese government at the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Lomé. While there, he said he played a variety of roles, from researcher to project manager with a focus in the economic/political sector. One project he noted was an initiative to end wildlife trafficking in the country.  

According to both Agbleke and a 2018 report from the BBC, wildlife trafficking has been and continues to be a major issue in the country. Togo is a popular transit point for poached ivory and animal skins. A commonly used port is located in Lomé.

Agbleke said he was tasked with analyzing the difficulties that the government was having with trafficking and then creating a proposal to combat those problems. He suggested the government create a “working group” comprised of law enforcement agencies, members of the scientific community and nongovernment organizations that would be dedicated to wildlife conservation.

He said he also had a valuable experience working as a facilitator for a U.S. team as they studied election-related violence in the area. Though Agbleke said that he learned a great deal about his area of study, he acknowledged that the length of his internship prevented him from seeing these projects to their end. He explained his view on the situation. He said he is dedicated to service, having served in U.S. National Guard since 2011 and recently transferring to the Army Reserve.

“For me, it was about service,” he said. “It was another way to serve the U.S.”

Jillian Lope, who is also a second-year master’s student studying diplomacy and international relations, felt a similar call. For her summer internship, she worked at the U.S. Embassy in Valletta, Malta. She said she was originally attracted to the area in part to learn more about the migration crisis there. Lope explained that, while the use of ships is common in Maltese commerce, (the country being on the Mediterranean Sea) it is also a common tool for migration.

Due to the fact that most of her work is classified, Lope spoke generally on the topics she encountered while working at the embassy, saying she oversaw areas of Maltese society from pop culture to politics. Though she had to adapt to a new culture, she said there wasn’t much of a “culture shock” except for getting used to the heat during those summer months as well as the bug population.

Lope offered a word of caution to all diplomacy and international relations students looking to have a summer internship abroad. “I know that this internship would not have been possible for me if I didn’t have previous internships,” she said. She added the that she had prior experience at the United Nations and in the non-for-profit and private sectors. “It’s a really long process and you have to work really hard for it,” Lope explained. She recommended that students wanting to intern abroad should stay up-to-date on current events as well as maintain a professional resume.

Approximately 1,185 miles away (by car and a ferry ride) from Lope, Patricia Zanini Graca was completing a 10-week fellowship in Geneva, Switzerland. In the same graduate program as Agbleke and Lobe, Graca’s focus this summer was security. She worked with Centre for Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), more specifically, in the Latin American and the Caribbean Unit. Given that the DCAF in part works with policymakers to help develop security sectors in nations worldwide, Graca said that her favorite part of the fellowship was creating factsheets and analyzing life in Latin American countries.

“Some of the most violent countries in the world are in Latin America,” she explained. “Venezuela, Honduras and Guatemala have higher homicide rates than Syria.”

In addition to data analysis, Graca also worked to organize and promote various events and initiatives. She would publicize these updates through blogs and articles. As a part of her duties, she also managed the Latin American and the Caribbean Unit on social media as well as the DCAF website.

Though these students were all in pursuit of master’s degrees, undergraduates have a variety of avenues to explore in terms of a study abroad, whether it be through faculty-led tours, an exchange program or through a third-party company, separate from Seton Hall.

According to Olivia Koloszuk, a graduate student worker in the Office of International Programs at SHU, studying abroad as an undergraduate can be an invaluable experience.

“Students should study abroad as much as they are able to,” she said. “They can learn so much about themselves, their degree programs, various cultures and explore places all over the world.”

Graca, when discussing her travels, echoed a similar sentiment. She said, “I think the key to adapt is to travel light, meaning leave your judgments and misconceptions at home. Never generalize anything or anyone. Each person and situation is unique, and there is always something to teach you.”  

 

Blogging, Journalism, PR

The benefits of blogging and how to be successful

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SEO Chat probably has the most nuanced definition of a blog, as it can be both a tool to share personal messages and opinions as well as news. With blogs, the individual has the opportunity to take journalism or PR campaigns into their own hands. (Many businesses have turned to blogging as well in the interest of transparency with clients.) However, that also speaks to one of the main differences between mainstream journalists and bloggers. Bloggers do not have editors or “gatekeepers” the same way traditional journalists do in most cases, to fact check them and help them keep their stories objective. I understand how this could be liberating but, by the same token, it puts more responsibility on the blogger to self-police and make sure they aren’t contributing to the spread of misinformation.

Just because blogging and traditional journalism operate a little differently does not mean there isn’t inherent value in each and their relationship. In fact, media outlets often look to blogs for news tips and ideas for features, according to the same article by SEO Chat. One of the reasons blogs have been able to stay relevant for so long is how specifically targeted they can be.

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Photo via Pixabay/StockSnap

As you’ll notice, this blog most often explores the connection between social media in journalism and PR. However, if an individual or media outlet wanted to look into blogs about poetry or running a small business there are hundreds, if not thousands, out there. One of the keys to finding and maintaining an audience comes with tagging key words and linking to social media, according to Sarah Green. That way, readers can be more quickly drawn to the subject matter. When blogging, no matter the subject matter, transparency and consistency seem to be key elements to maintaining and growing a readership. Consistency is also an element when deciding what topics to cover. If I attract readers based on my discussions of journalism, PR and social media, I’m not likely to switch gears to, say, “the benefits of carpentry” out of the blue.

Visual elements can be crucial to attracting readers to a blog as they break up the monotony of text and usually give clues to what the story or post will be about right off the bat. Images for a blog can be found by either the creator taking them herself or through a free image search. Free image searches can be done through Google Images. Next to the search bar, after you type in your terms and “enter” or “return,” select “Tools” then “Usage Rights” and finally “Labeled for reuse.” This will ensure you are using photos without violating someone’s copyright. Some other websites that contain free use images are Pixabay and Wikimedia Commons.

Following these steps will help ensure that you find or create the blog that’s right for you.

 

 

Journalism, PR

Getting the full story with collaboration

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The ability to collaborate with one’s audience is arguably one of the more exciting aspects of journalism and public relations in the digital era. As Briggs suggests, collaboration between the professional and her readers/viewers creates the idea of news and reporting as a conversation. In a world where social media has allowed and created the demand for up-to-the-minute updates on stories and PR initiatives, the ability to add to the dialogue is nearly a necessity. 

Not only can readers and viewers add to the pool of information, they are also likely to return to a given website and help drive traffic there if they feel they are a meaningful part of the conversation. This is why a journalist or PR professional should make it a point to always engage with users in the “comments” section of their pages, asking for leads and tips or providing feedback on ideas. Even in cases where comments are negative, a simple reply of “We appreciate your feedback” would suffice. Negative comments, unless they reach the level of hate speech, should always be allowed on the forum as one cannot deny the right of another to contribute (Briggs 111.)

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Photo via Pixabay/RachelScottYoga

Last week, we discussed the popularity and usefulness of CNN’s iReport. However, similar crowd-sourcing efforts exist in the world of PR. Take Ketchum Mindfire for example, where users can look at postings from global organizations and help create campaigns to win prizes. Ultimately, professionals can find value in collaboration due to the fact it may expand a person’s worldview, introducing them to new ideas and angles.

Once that dedicated community of collaborators and audience members is built, both journalists and PR professionals can effectively engage in real-time marketing, which allows them to use trends and current events to enhance a product or concept. This is usually accomplished through shareable content like pictures and video. The more in touch a professional is with her audience and its desires, the more effective this strategy will be. A prime example of this marketing method winning big in the PR world is the Oreo Super Bowl blackout tweet, which went viral on social media.

There are some inherent dangers in collaboration, mostly in the legal realm. A professional must ensure they have permission from the creator to use the user-generated content. If she does not have permission, she may well be accused of plagiarism or theft of intellectual property. Another danger is using unverified content in a project and jeopardizing the credibility of the professional. With so much content being  generated online daily, it is becoming increasingly easier to miss something when fact checking. However, it seems the benefits of working with others far outweigh the risks.

 

Journalism, PR, Social Media

Exciting change unfolding before us

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The Economist seems to have the best definition of social media by classifying it as an ecosystem for the exchange of information. Much like any environment, social media platforms have evolved not only in the growing ease with which users can share information, but also in the way they are perceived by professional journalists.

Throughout the last few decades, the context in which news consumers share information has shifted from print to digital. What may then have been spread by text or broadcast evolved into email forwards and yet again into the “share” button on Facebook. With how important the individual has become in the spread of news, he or she has changed the face of the newsroom. Media outlets are more reliant upon, or more willing to integrate, user generated content in their stories. The Economist uses the example of iReport being an important tool for CNN to receive information from people in Japan during the 2011 earthquake. Reliance on civilian reports allows journalists to quickly gather and generate stories from around the world. A similar change occurred in the field of public relations (PR.) In times of crisis, social media can be an effective tool to get a statement out to millions at once. In fact, the PR field overall is shifting many resources to social media campaigns.

I believe, much like the central message of the readings for this week, both journalism and PR will always exist as industries. Whether it be a desire to ensure the clarity and effectiveness of a message or the correctness of a news story, people will always look to these professionals to help spread and verify information. Even at times when most do not actively seek this, it is still needed. This idea is perhaps best illustrated by the Pizzagate scandal surrounding the 2016 Election in which a man was led to raid a pizzeria based on propaganda and misinformation.

The greatest change we are likely to see, and have seen, across these industries is an effort to increase the immediacy with which information is released to the public. The public is in a space where it expects news to flow as events are unfolding. Tools such as Facebook Live are likely to be used more often as a result of greater demand. Also, just by nature of the usual brevity of social media posts, long-form journalism will likely decrease in popularity as people continually look to their feeds to keep informed. Neither of these changes or related others are particularly frightening, as long as the prospect of learning does not frighten PR and journalism practitioners. In fact, the rapid change of media and how it is consumed should be taken as an encouraging sign. That which remains stagnant usually dies out.