Tweet and Sour? Newspapers Set New Rules for Social Networking

By: Joe Strupp It is the spring of Twitter, after the winter of Facebook, and nearly a decade of blogging. So how are newspapers handling a lot of this newfangled social media madness? Many editors are still not sure how to police the growing Twitter trend and Facebook "friending" phenomenon. Since much of it relies on casual and candid conversation, standard newsroom regulations may not apply.

The Los Angeles Times issued a list of guidelines in March, while The Wall Street Journal gained attention in May when it expanded its conduct guidelines to include a host of online-related restrictions, including warnings not to "friend" confidential sources or get into Web- related arguments with critics. The Washington Post, just a day later, did the same (as I observe in my story on p. 5). But not everyone is laying down the law on Twitter. Some papers want staffers to take a casual, open approach, while others admit they aren't sure how to police the social media outlets and still allow them to be useful.

At the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman, like at many other newspapers I checked, a common-sense approach is about all they require. "We have not made specific rules for Twitter and Facebook," declares Internet Editor Robert Quigley. His directive: "We trust you to be responsible about it. You always work for the newspaper. That is how people see you."

Staffers at The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer are encouraged to tweet as part of their reporting, says Steve Gunn, editor for innovations and new products. But he also said no formal policy exists, other than each Twittering employee must inform him and go through a short review of how to use Twitter.

Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times, started tweeting, albeit sparingly, last month. "I have asked people to use common sense and respect the workplace and assume whatever they tweet will be tied to the paper," he told me. "Even when they are tweeting personal information to their followers, they are still representing the New York Times."

The Washington Post's new policy on social networking sites, created in mid-May, asks users to avoid "verbal fisticuffs with rivals or critics." The paper's policy adds: "In general, we expect that the journalism our reporters produce will be published through The Washington Post, in print or digitally, not on personal blogs, Facebook or MySpace pages, or via Twitter or other new media. We are happy to have reporters post links to their stories or other Post material.

"On the use of new media outside of work: We assume that our journalists won't embarrass The Post or impair their journalistic independence through anything they may publish on Twitter, Facebook, blogs or any other new media. We don't and can't practically monitor everything our reporters might do in their own time, so we rely primarily on their good judgment and common sense."

The Los Angeles Times "social media" guidelines make clear that staffers are always representing the paper when they engage in online activities: "Assume that your professional life and your personal life merge online regardless of your care in separating them. Don't write or post anything that would embarrass the LAT or compromise your ability to do your job."

Even with that strict approach, the Los Angeles Times is among the most active newspapers on Twitter. "We understand people need to be more casual to fit in to that culture," says Andrew Nystrom, senior producer for social media. "We encourage them to say what is on their minds, and that gets a better response."

When I asked Associated Press Director of Media Relations Paul Colford about Twitter and Facebook policies, he cited a portion of the AP's "news values and principles," which states: "Anyone who works for the AP must be mindful that opinions they express may damage the AP's reputation as an unbiased source of news."

Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll added in a statement: "Twitter can be a useful tool in newsgathering. We rely on our staff to exercise good judgment in expressing themselves on Twitter, as in any other public forum." So ? no hard- and-fast rules there.

But the Wall Street Journal's guidelines advise users to not mix "business and pleasure" in their postings and also warns: "Sharing your personal opinions, as well as expressing partisan political views, whether on Dow Jones sites or on the larger Web, could open us to criticism that we have biases and could make a reporter ineligible to cover topics in the future for Dow Jones."

Also: "Don't recruit friends or family to promote or defend your work."

Then there's The Record in Hackensack, N.J., which has four editors who collect and post Twitter items for the paper. But Managing Editor Frank Burgos says Twittering by anyone else on company time is discouraged.

"We don't want people to excessively use Twitter," he adds.