By Kiefer Woods
Using social media website can really help journalists find sources for a story that they are working on. Most social media websites let you search for people based on their geographical location, the school they attend, the company that they work for, and their interests. This allows journalists to narrow their search when looking for sources. They can also search for people based on an event they are attending.
For this how to, I’m going to use Facebook as our social media website of choice. Facebook makes it really easy to find sources especially if you are writing a story on an event. Journalists can log on to Facebook and search for local events. On these event pages other people on Facebook RSVP whether they are going, might go, or are not going to the event. Journalists can use these list to find and message sources about the event.
To find a local event log on to Facebook. Type the name of the event you are writing your story on in the search bar at the top of the page. As you type, it will bring up suggestions based on what you type. When you find the event you are looking for, click on it and it will bring up the event page. The list of attendees are along the left hand side of the page. You can select people from this list and ask if they would be willing to answer questions about the event.
There’s also an about section which gives a good overview of the event. It also tells you where and when the event will take place. The page also let’s you know who the page administrator is if you want to message them for any questions about the event. When the administrators set the event pages up the right way it really helps journalists and the average person really get informed on the event and connect with other people planning on going to the event.
The Facebook page “Facebook and Journalists” (http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=238877639457591) have a section about how to use Facebook to find sources and story ideas. They list step-by-step what to do. About.com’s Journalism section (http://journalism.about.com/od/trends/a/facebook.htm) also has an interesting article on how to use Facebook to search for sources and to promote your stories.
Lisa Eckelbecker, a reporter for the Worcester Telegram & Gazetter newspaper, uses Facebook to post her stories and to contact friends to help her find possible sources for new stories that she is working on. Dara Bunjon, a restaurant writer for Examiner.com, uses Facebook to promote her column. She says this helps grow the number of people that follow what she writes.
Social Media is a great tool for journalists to have when writing stories. Social Media sites help journalists find sources, come up with story ideas, and fact-checking information. Current journalists need to adapt and learn how to use Social Media to enhance their reporting and secure their future in journalism.
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