The use of social media is now integral to everyday life and it’s likely that you use more than one of these channels to communicate with your friends, families and colleagues.
In this digital environment, the use of social media is critical. It’s no longer enough to publish our work and put it on the web, we need to invite readers and viewers. Social media channels are among the most valuable promotional tools to accomplish this.
We want to encourage you to use social media, not only to promote The Lantern but to establish your personal brand.
As we transition to work for Lantern Media, as editors, directors, designers and reporters, it’s critical to keep in mind that these are public channels that can reach a vast online audience. As an associate of The Lantern and Lantern TV, you are now a part of a media enterprise that always seeks to communicate accurately and professionally. As such, you need to be aware that what you file and share online can reflect on your job and on Lantern Media.
In general, Lantern and Lantern TV staff should consider these basic principles when they use social media.
- Do not mix the professional and personal in ways likely to bring The Lantern and Lantern TV into disrepute.
- Do not imply Lantern endorsement of your personal views.
- Do not disclose confidential information obtained through work.
- Use the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics to guide your decisions on what you post.
Why is this policy important? Posts on Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and other channels – even if you intend them to be merely and solely personal — can professionally affect you and Lantern Media. It can represent you to the outside world as much as a story or video package.
So, your online data trails reflect on your professional reputations and those of The Lantern and Lantern TV. How does this work in the real world?
If, for example, you cover politics or politicians – or expect that might be likely – you should think very carefully about posts that express your opinions on political or other polarizing issues. This extends to using any form of social media to express personal views on a controversial issue that you might be tasked to cover for Lantern Media.
Similarly, if you expect to cover university officials, you should avoid expressing opinions or advocating on behalf of issues involving university policies, plans and decisions.
Though these issues affect you personally as a student, your job as a journalist is to cover them objectively. Inasmuch as these posts would show or suggest bias, they could preclude you from writing or producing stories about them.
Keep in mind, that you are not forbidden from posting your opinions on important topics and issues. You simply must be aware that such posts could have consequences that extend to your work with Lantern Media.
Journalists who do their job well inevitably write stories that upset or challenge the status quo. Even if stories are objectively written and completely accurate, social media posts that suggest bias can and will be used by those who are displeased with our coverage to try to undermine or question it.
Lantern Media journalists also should refrain from writing, tweeting or posting anything—including photographs and video—that could be perceived as reflecting political, racial, sexist, religious or other bias or favoritism that could be used to tarnish journalistic credibility.
Personal pages online are no place for the discussion of internal newsroom issues such as sourcing, reporting of stories, decisions to publish or not to publish, personnel matters and untoward personal or professional matters involving our colleagues. The same is true for opinions or information regarding any business activities of The Lantern and Lantern TV. Such pages and sites also should not be used to criticize competitors or those who take issue with our journalism or our journalists.
And when in doubt, always consult with your editor, manager or director.
Twitter Policy
Twitter is an increasingly important account that can effectively promote Lantern Media, its stories and the people who work here.
Lantern Media encourages you to use Twitter to:
- Share Lantern articles and video and build up a following
- Distribute news and solicit reader comment
- Tweet during live events you cover such as football games, commencement and news conferences
Lantern Media associates who wish to use Twitter for these purposes should make sure their posts follow the rules set by the Lantern Media Social Media Guidelines and Policy.
Where possible, tweets should include appropriate hashtags and twitter handles to help spread and promote Lantern content.
Negative Comments
Not all of the feedback Lantern Media receives praises us for the work we do. We can and do receive unhappy and challenging tweets and comments. When these occur, it’s essential that our response is thoughtful and professional and something that can be comfortably shared on a public channel.
In many cases, especially those involving comments that are clearly irrational or designed to provoke an angry response, it’s better to not reply at all. Sometimes there is nothing you can say that can resolve a situation, and in many of these cases any response could make a situation worse.