Pulling Back the Curtain

How Social Media has allowed Journalists to take their followers through the reporting process with them.

By: Sierra Guardiola

Social Media has brought the audience along for the ride with the journalist.

Social media has demystified journalism. It has allowed the public to be involved in a reporter’s journey to craft a story, giving them the feeling that the curtain that was present in years past has finally been pulled back. In this age especially, I believe the ability for readers to follow along as reporters develop a story is vital. With so much distrust in the media, having a transparent and often interactive approach to storytelling builds trust between journalists and their audiences.

By building trust, journalists have the ability to build a following. Their social media has become a direct reflection of who they are not only professionally but personally as well. When a journalist develops their online presence to reflect their lifestyle, interests and thought both inside and outside of the office it allows followers to see who they are when they “clock out.” While followers may have subscribed originally to keep up with their reporting, they may now be invested in keeping up with a journalist to see what they’re reading and retweeting, what they like to do in their free time. This could provide some insight to followers as to why a reporter covers the beat they choose. Social media has made the journalist a real person who people that read or view their work feel like they can relate to.

This comes with responsibility though on the part of the journalist. Their efforts on social media need to genuine. They need to be working toward building a brand that followers feel is consistent and reliable. Just as much as individual journalists need to be aware and actively working on this, organizations are tasked with the same challenge. In order to keep their readers engaged platform to platform, they need to be active and engaged with their audience. A few organization’s use of their Instagram platforms in particular have stood out to me recently. Take New York Magazine for example. They know the majority of their followers are living a city lifestyle, hustling from one destination to the next. For this reason, they have strategically used their Instagram stories to highlight the “Morning Catchup: The news you need to know before you start your day.” This allows them to connect with followers to bring information to them in a way that fits their needs. On the other hand, Rachel Karten of Bon Appétit Magazine has found new ways to connect with the brand’s following. She understands that their followers could benefit from a behind the scenes look at the food they are featuring. For this reason, their story often highlights supplemental stories that spur from longer features highlighted in the magazine or content specific to Instagram such as “Test Kitchen Tuesdays.” This offers followers original content that stays on brand and relevant.

These methods evolve each day, always leaving room for journalists and media outlets to continue to strategically build their online presence.