Document Type
Presentation
Publication Date
3-2020
Abstract
In the age of social media, more than 30,000 residents are signed up to receive “news alerts” on Twitter from a local county sheriff’s office (2) in the Denver metro area, while about 3,000 receive “news alerts” from the community newspaper in that county(1).
What does this say about eroding journalistic authority, if anything? Specifically, how are journalist interactions with police sources changing in today’s social media-heavy environment? This study finds that journalists continue to follow industry norms of objectivity and verification - especially sourcing - while using social media tools to help them find information they need to do their work, while law enforcement public information officers often bypass journalists to post information directly to their social media “followers”.
This study poses questions about both journalistic and law enforcement authority. It also examines how social media blurs journalists’ “watchdog role” in a modern democracy. While the study is limited to less than 50 participants because of the small number of people working in this particular area (both journalists and public information officers in Colorado), it provides valuable insights into the changing nature of who is considered authoritative in providing public information, which can pave the way for a systematic analysis of this issue across the United States.
Recommended Citation
Potter, Beth, "Law enforcement “journalism” in the modern age: How does social media erode journalistic authority?" (2020). Society for the Academic Study of Social Imagery. 12.
https://digscholarship.unco.edu/sassi/12
Comments
These presentation materials were provided by the author(s) for the virtual 2020 Society for the Academic Study of Social Imagery (SASSI) conference after the event transitioned from being in person to online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This presentation was part of the session "Perspectives on Societal Behaviors and Relationships."
See also the official conference proceedings.