The myth that social media is destroying print journalism like newspapers and magazines, is just that; just a myth. Social Media sites have had very positive impacts on “classical” news sources from getting tips to spreading news like wildfires vis Twitter.
Nearly every news station, magazine, and newspaper has Twitter, Facebook, and maybe Instagram. Take People magazine as an example; they have an exclusive interview with some celebrity, they post the link to the article on their social media sites, but they don’t publish their entire article on the actual website. Only a very vague article is written, a little preview if you will, then at the very end of the article it reads: “For the full interview please see the latest People Magazine on news stands now.” This gets the reader curious enough to go out and buy the latest copy.
Social media sites also allow for their readers to contribute to what they are reading via opinions in the comment section on the news source website. Giving those a voice who don’t often have one.
Social Media sites also help reporters break news. Think about it, how many videos and photos captured via cell phone are shown on the News or are featured in the paper?
Blogs and threads are may not be reliable sources for newsworthy information but they are a great way to find rumors and/or tip that may lead to the next great article.
One such example of a print news source using a blog as a sort of tip line was InTouch Weekly when they broke the story on the Josh Duggar molestation scandal. In an interview with MSNBC Alexander Hitchen stated that when researching the family online via blogs and Facebook pages, there were tons of rumors going on about how the Duggar’s were covering up Josh’s abuse scandal.
Freejinger.org is an anti-Duggar blog where the Josh Duggar speculation and theories first started. The “sin in the camp” story was a speculated story where Duggar was caught sexually abusing young girls and was sent away.
Social Media and blogs are just one way journalists are gaining new ways of obtaining sources and tips.