Reuters Releases Social-Media Guidelines

Reuters published its guidelines for reporting via the Internet and using social media, stressing transparency in using social media, including mentioning affiliation with Reuters and stating that opinions expressed are personal, as well as clearing the use of social-media sites with managers, and breaking news via the wire rather than via Twitter or other sites. Highlights, particularly on the subject of social media: We want to encourage you to use social-media approaches in your journalism, but we also need to make sure that you are fully aware of the risks -- especially those that threaten our hard-earned reputation for independence and freedom from bias or our brand. The recommendations below offer general guidance with more detailed suggestions for managing your presence on the most popular social networks. This is a fast-changing world, and you will need to exercise judgment in many areas. In framing this advice, we've borne in mind the following principles and encourage you to think about them whenever using social media. The advent of social media does not change your relationship with the company that employs you -- do not use social media to embarrass or disparage Thomson Reuters. Our company's brands are important; so, too, is your personal brand. Think carefully about how what you do reflects upon you as a professional and upon us as an employer of professionals. The distinction between the private and the professional has largely broken down online, and you should assume that your professional and personal social-media activity will be treated as one no matter how hard you try to keep them separate. You should also be aware that even if you make use of privacy settings, anything you post on a social-media site may be made public. While it is not practical to always apply the "second pair of eyes rule" for journalists using social media, especially Twitter, in a professional capacity, you should consider that a "virtual second pair of eyes rule" applies under which your manager and/or senior editors will retrospectively review your professional output. Your Facebook profile, Twitter stream, or personal blog gives clues to your political and other affiliations, and you should take care about what you reveal. A determined critic can soon build up a picture of your preferences by analyzing your links, those that you follow, your "friends," blog roll, and endless other indicators. We all leave an "online footprint" whenever we use the Web, and you need to think about whether your footprint might create perceptions of a bias toward or against a particular group. We're in the transparency business, and we encourage you to be open about who you are. On your personal blog or social-networking profile, make it clear that you are a Reuters journalist, and that any opinions you express are your own. When you post comments, do so under your real name. If you use social networks for both professional and private activity, then use separate accounts. Seek the permission of your manager before setting up a professional presence on a social-networking site. Be aware that you may reveal your sources to competitors by using "following" or "friending" functionality on social networks. If you wish to use Twitter as part of your professional role, you should seek the permission of your line manager. If you are using Twitter professionally, you should use the word "Reuters" in the name of your stream or somewhere else on the page. The short-form nature of Twitter means it is fast and well-suited to certain tasks, including the live-blogging of events. It will not always be possible or even desirable to find someone to double-check your content. Where practical, you should ask someone to check content of Twitter posts. If there is no one to check, then you should satisfy yourself that your posts conform to the Trust Principles. Be aware, however, that Reuters Twitter streams will and must be reviewed by an editor -- not necessarily in real-time or before publication, but eventually and regularly. As with blogging within Reuters News, you should make sure that if you have hard news content, it is broken first via the wire. Don't scoop the wire. This does not apply if you are "retweeting" (republishing) someone else's scoop.

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Reuters Releases Social-Media Guidelines

David Cohen

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