Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

Facebook and Twitter are increasingly becoming news sources for its users, but news is not necessarily the reason why people are logging onto these social networking sites. It just so happens that news ends up being part of the social media experience.

That’s according to a new report from the Pew Research Center.

"One of the things we saw early on is the degree to which people describe this as 'incidental news...And that's something that's being reinforced." -- Amy Mitchell, director of journalism research for the Pew Research Center

The findings cement the fact that both users and news organizations must continue to wrestle with social media, its different features and their implications.

“Social media is certainly a part of Americans’ news streams, and it’s going to continue to be a part of that,” said Amy Mitchell, director of journalism research for the Pew Research Center.

“And the different ways people connect with these platforms will influence how they learn about their communities and the world.”...

As an early adopter of convergence, award-winning journalist Sam Meddis made the leap to the web as USA Today's online technology editor in the '90s....

IJNet: What are the differences in storytelling techniques between print and visual media?

SM: In a text story you still want to describe things visually, but I think what you’re doing with a video story is concentrating more on what people will see and not describing it. You don’t have to describe what people are going to see — I think that’s a big mistake. It’s a different way of describing the visual element, but it is important if you’re writing a script that you’re not repeating what people are seeing.Print reporters are really good storytellers, and the storytelling is the thing that’s important. The technology — like how to use a videocamera and microphone — those things can be taught pretty quickly and easily. It’s really: Are you a good storyteller....