Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and the thousands other sites out there like them, are a powerful tool in the world of journalism today. Story ideas can be found on Twitter, while Youtube can quickly broadcast stories to millions, and Facebook can help a reporter keep track of, and find contacts. The possibilities are practically endless.
However, social networking does have its downside: a reporter has to work extra hard to make sure all the information gathered is correct. It is easier for a person to misrepresent who they are, through social networks; a changed name here, and a false picture there can ruin a source. It is because of that reason that a journalist cannot become lazy, just because people are just finger tips away. The reporter should still conduct interviews in person rather than over Facebook. Whose to say that the reporter is not talking to someone completely different than the intended source. I think Jennifer had it right when she wrote: " Although stories may come from following someone on twitter or befriending them on facebook, journalists can never be sure who wrote those things. The name attached to them may not be the same person who wrote the comment. People who forget to log off their facebook accounts are hacked by friends, and incriminating things are posted as a joke by friends. A name on a computer screen does not mean total reliability on the keyboard."
In an article called 'Slapped in the Facebook,' the writer stated: "Through a variety of easy tricks, attackers can hijack a person's social network account to use as a launching pad for additional attacks against other users, other Web 2.0-based applications, and so on. Social networks can also be incorporated into micro botnets and, by rummaging through a page of misfired direct messages on Twitter, a motivated attacker can unearth the cell phone numbers of prominent people."
Good points Rob. I think that you hit the nail right on the head when you said that you can't necessarily trust a source over the internet because you can't be sure who is replying to you on the other end. You see it all the time on sites like Twitter when you search up some sort of celebrity and 15 names come up. Not all of them are held by the actual person that you want, and sometimes none of them are.
ReplyDeleteIt's always good to be cautious and like you said: try to talk to people in person rather than in an online setting.