“Oriella Digital Journalism Study also found more than half journalists worldwide use social media, such as Twitter, to source and verify stories, from contacts already known to them.

A study of more than 600 journalists across the world found that more than half source and verify news stories using known sources on social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and Weibo. The research found 75 per cent of journalists in the UK do so.”

(via @ejcnet & @journalismnews)

Read more: Study: 75% of UK journalists source news from known social media contacts

pewinternet:

New report out today: 72% of Americans follow local news closely

Most adults follow local news closely, and many rely heavily on local newspapers to keep them informed. Yet, younger local news followers differ from their older counterparts in some important ways, potentially signaling changes to come in the local news environment …

Find out more about these local news enthusiasts, the sources they rely on, and key generational differences in the full report.

Journalism educators today face the daunting task of staying current in a media environment that seems to be constantly changing. Our classes are already loaded with the fundamentals of reporting and writing. Now we have to add new ideas and tools available in a flourishing digital environment.

Read more: Resources for journalism educators to stay current on media news & trends

When the Pulitzer Prize Board announced last year it would emphasize real-time reporting for the Breaking News category starting in 2012, some speculated whether we would someday see a Pulitzer Prize for tweeting. As it turns out, this year’s winner came pretty close.

The prize for Breaking News went to a small newspaper that combined old-fashioned field reporting with a new tool, Twitter, after a tornado devastated swaths of Tuscaloosa, Ala., on April 27, 2011.

Read more: How The Tuscaloosa News’ post-tornado tweeting helped bring home a Pulitzer Prize

With great technological change comes great opportunity, and with great opportunity comes greater responsibility. Our society’s need for credible journalistic knowledge and wisdom has never been greater. While the evolution of the web has been primarily beneficial, it also raises the bar.

8 questions that will help define the future of journalism:

1. Addressing content architecture;

2. Evolving the narrative form;

3. Creating the Reporter’s Notebook 2.0;

4. Rethinking organizational workflow;

5. Exploring computational journalism;

6. Leveraging search and social;

7. Rethinking site design;

8. Shifting to a culture of constant product innovation.

Read more: Google’s Richard Gingras: 8 questions that will help define the future of journalism

futurejournalismproject:

News Coverage of Trayvon Martin Case Drops But Still Public’s Top Story

Via the Pew Research Center:

For the third straight week, the controversy over the shooting death of Trayvon Martin was the public’s top story, though coverage dropped considerably. A third of the public (33%) say they followed news about the death of the African American teenager in Florida more closely than any other news, about twice the percentage citing the economy (16%) or the 2012 elections (15%). News about the controversy made up 7% of coverage, down from 18% one week earlier, according to a separate analysis by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ).

African Americans continue to follow news about the controversy more closely than whites. About seven-in-ten blacks (72%) say they followed Trayvon Martin developments more closely than any other story, compared with 26% of whites. Looking at partisans, 45% of Democrats say this was their top story last week, three times the 15% of Republicans that say this. Among independents more than a third (36%) say this was their top story.

onaissues:

A very handy guide from Journalism.co.uk.

This how-to features advice from a panel of experts on the key considerations, questions and tools journalists should have in mind when carrying out verification of content that surfaces via social media, be it a news tip, an image, a piece of audio or video.

The process covers three main stages: monitoring of social networks and the online community before news breaks, checking the content when it comes into play and subsequently reporting that content once verified.

Check out the full guide.

pewinternet:

A New Era of the Digital Revolution: The Role of Mobile Devices & Social Media in News Consumption

(From our friends at The Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism)

pewinternet:

Facebook and Twitter Are Still Relatively Small Drivers for News -

Did you catch the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism’s State of the News Media 2012? Lots of great info on how news consumers use social media and how mobile devices could change the news business. 

Read more …