Journalists’ responsibilities in the digital age are changing and so are their job titles.
With journalism scholarships going to computer programmers rather than reporters, a new breed of information brokers is on the rise.
These days, a journalist must also double as a data scientist to track a claim’s digital footprint to a verified source, Reuters social media editor Anthony De Rosa said during a Digital Capital Week panel on “Responsibility in Media in a Global Age.”
Anything that happens offline has the potential to happen online, De Rosa said, citing corruption and misinformation. This vulnerability of social media presents the “need for a new type of journalist to get into the industry.”
De Rosa also gave a few suggestions for journalists using social media to tease their stories before they’re live. When your outlet is one of many reporting the same story, add context to the tweet or post. Inform the public with caveats and if there’s a hefty gap in the story, hold off from the peek-a-boo tweet until the story is secure.
What do you think - will journalists who get into the game because they don't like math have to change their ways?