By Tamara Littleton

News, by definition, is spread from person to person. Before the advent of mass media channels, news was spread by word-of-mouth – it is inherently social, and the socialisation of modern news channels is simply taking news gathering and distribution back to its origins.

News organisations have been gradually incorporating social elements into their websites for a few years now. From accepting reader comments and including social sharing buttons on articles, to the more recent news that The Guardian is opening up its news schedule to the public, publishers are exploiting social media to reach a wider audience. But to protect the reputation of the news site, there must be stringent guidelines for both journalists and the community of readers and contributors (as the Telegraph found out recently).

The Associated Press (AP) has produced social media guidelines for journalists that emphasise the need for journalistic impartiality to be maintained when dealing with the general public over social media. A journalist expressing a personal view in private, or in an offline social situation, is not the same as doing so over Twitter, where opinions can quickly lead to online spats which could risk damaging both the journalist’s reputation, and that of the news organisation that they work for.

Reuters’ guidelines highlight the need for journalists to think carefully before they post. The news agency advises reporters to treat their personal and professional social media presences as they same and to post updates with the knowledge that their content will be seen by their editor once posted. Again, the guidelines emphasise the need to maintain impartiality, transparency and to uphold the reputation of the organisation.

The Guardian, which has an online readership that thrives on comments and contributions – such as Comment Is Free – encourages journalists to blog and respond to comments posted under their articles on the Guardian website. Clear guidelines are provided for the journalist to follow when posting, and participation and positive engagement are expected. The guidelines also encourage journalists to post links to sources to back-up their statements, rather than reply to comments with personal opinion.

In short, journalists have a high professional reputation to uphold, both on their own behalf and that of their employer. Having a clear, concise set of social media and community guidelines for the journalist to follow removes any doubt as to what they are permitted to say or do over social media.

But news is not just about the journalist, it’s also about the reader. The rise of social media and news communities has given readers more of a voice than they have had since the invention of the steam press. Readers don’t have to worry about issues such as impartiality or the reputation of the journalist or news website: they’ll comment if they feel passionately about a news item, each bringing their own bias and agenda. So to protect the title both legally and in terms of reputation and quality, communities of readers need to be rigorously managed.

News websites can establish the tones and values of a site by displaying clear and easily accessible guidelines detailing what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour online. If things have to be spelt out in legalese, create a jargon free summary, and link to the detailed terms. Guidelines such as those provided by the Guardian provide a good example to follow.

The Guardian has shown just how seriously news organisations are taking this return to social news by its experiment inviting readers to comment on the news agenda before the articles are written. What impact this will have on the editorial content of the website is yet to be seen, but it’s a clear indication that news is becoming more social and that media organisations are willing to embrace the change.

About the author and eModeration

Tamara Littleton is CEO at eModeration (http://www.emoderation.com/), an award-winning social media management agency. Based in London UK, with offices in Los Angeles and New York, eModeration provides multi-lingual moderation and community management services, consultancy and social media crisis management training to clients in the TV, entertainment and digital publishing industry and blue chip clients hosting online communities.

Committed to ethical business practices and to the promotion of child online safety, eModeration's CEO Tamara Littleton recently worked with the UK Government department UKCCIS to produce its guidelines on how to moderate online environments for children. eModeration contributes to the growth of knowledge in the social media world via its white papers, blogs and seminars, and has a strong roster of returning clients who appreciate the high quality of its services.

Relevant links

eModeration white paper: A guide to managing social media for news sites and media organisations – September 2011 - http://www.emoderation.com/about/publications