Breaking News and Social Curation

Curation Station Social media in breaking news

Kelly Fincham, Hofstra U, @kellyfinchamKim Bui, KPCC, @kimbui

#EIJCuration

What’s your plan?Make your plan BEFORE the news breaks!

Who in your newsroom will do what?

Do you know your policy on breaking news?

Use Twitter lists for curation

What’s already out there?

Search networks before you say anythingAre you really breaking the news?

Tip, not confirmation

“We treat social media networks the same way we treat wire services, police reports, and any other form of news-gathering resource… We use (these tips) to inform our coverage.”

- Ryan Broderick, Buzzfeed

Verify, verify, verifyAsk the sourceConsider the sourceWhat are others saying?What are officials saying?Check your photosAttribute even if you’re positive

If you’re unsure, WAIT and/or ASK(we are journalists, aren’t we?)

Add to the conversation

PhotosWhat do you see?Official statementsQuotesWho is following up? What is the next step?What is the reaction?What are people saying? (Be careful of rumors, and clearly label them as such)

A picture is worth...

Photos are more shared than any other content on Facebook

They’re also the only kind that can be edited after publishing.

Getting it right is always more

important than getting it first. Always.

It’s all a dinner party

Bad dinner party guests:○ claim stories that aren’t theirs○ talk about themselves too much

Good dinner party guests:○ facilitate conversation○ add context and depth

The tools

Rebel Mouse

Rebel Mouse

Rebel Mouse

Rebel Mouse

Use tools because they fit the story. Not because they’

re shiny.

When news breaks, social media can be your ticket to a better story and a better relationship with your audience.

More than a megaphone

Kim Bui (@kimbui)Kelly Fincham (@kellyfincham)

Questions?