Major news outlets are thinking about limiting their staff’s tweets to promote fairness and avoid bias. A poll of nearly 3500 people showed that a two to one majority wanted journalists to keep their opinions private, but 41 percent said they had more trust in journalists who kept their political and social views private while 36 percent said they trust journalists more for expressing honest political and social views. It remains to be seen if news outlets can live with the journalists maintaining huge social media followings. In the meantime, several New York Times journalists have over a half million followers. (The New York Times, January 31, 2021, by Ben Smith)
Sprout Social, a social media consulting firm, laid out nine suggestions for journalists using social media. Among them was “be ethical and mindful when interacting with others,” to use discretion and respect in reporting the news and to avoid provoking people gratuitously. (Sprout Social, May 11, 2020, by Brent Barnhart)
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