Copyright Laws on Social Media Content

Ethics and law have always been a challenge for journalists, but what was once black and white has become far more grey with the introduction of digital journalism. The internet is the biggest source of information on the planet, with more than two billion people using it every day and social media pages such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn ranking in the top ten for most frequently visited sites. 

For journalists the internet is a gold mine of information making the curation, publishing and promotion of their work far easier. However, social media sites, such as the ones listed above, fall into the category of both public and private information, so what happens when journalists start using "public" information from a "private" account? Do intellectual property rights actually stand for anything when it comes to social media? 

Here is what Facebook "Terms of Service" says about IP licenses: 

"For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, such as photos and videos (IP content), you specifically give us the following permission, subject to your privacy and application settings: you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide licence to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook (IP Licence). This IP Licence ends when you delete your IP content or your account, unless your content has been shared with others and they have not deleted it."

Now this is basically saying that although anything you post on your Facebook page does belong to you, you relinquish almost all rights to it when you put it on Facebook as the site itself is considered Public Domain. However, certain privacy restrictions are put in place by each individual user and Journalists must take note of this when considering using the content. 

A person who creates the image, video or audio retains the copyright when they post it on social media, so no matter where you find the image, either on a public Facebook page or a private one; it is ethically and legally correct to contact the creator before use. Although according to Journalism.co.uk 95% of copyright social media cases have no repercussions on the journalist, as it is often very difficult to draw the line between private and public. 

So when searching for images for an article keep in mind copyright infringement and stay out of trouble by contacting the owner before you use it. 

C3PO-NO! - Attack of the Robot Journalists

Machines or Robots have been taking over human jobs for the past 100 years, often meaning faster production, better quality goods, no room for human error and putting a lot of people out of work.

But did you ever think it could happen to journalists?

Now you're probably imagining R2D2 rolling around the streets with a note pad and pen, conducting interviews and chasing up leads. The reality is far less exciting but none the less a terrifying prospect for the future of journalism. Many news organisations such as Forbes.com have already set up an artificial intelligence platform which churns out automated news from live data and content gathered from previous articles. A company called Narrative Science is to thank for this as they work on developing algorithms that "Turn numbers into knowledge" though their goal is to "Amplify our own abilities rather than replacing them."

This, I think, is the main fear, that if Bots can replace something as intelligent in analysis, creative in word play and personable in tone as a journalist, we should all be quite afraid.

However, so far the general consensus is that the Bots are great at crunching  numbers, percentages, outcomes and relaying factual information, but when it comes to the creativity of human analysis, we are left wanting. So perhaps there is a hope for both Robot and Human to co-exist in online journalistic synergy; or as with many other industries consumer demands and efficiency outweigh the gratification of the human touch.

Theguardian.com had a bit of fun with the idea of robot journalists and challenged Will Franklin, one of their own developers to create a news bot...in a day. He created an algorithm that would curate information from the internet and convert it into a simple structure article on quinoa, this is what they ended up with.

"The crime-ridden family of quinoa has taken US by storm this month. According to Peru, New York has confirmed that quinoa is more story than anything else they've ever seen. Quotes from top Yotam Ottolenghi eaters suggest that "crop" is currently clear top, possibly more than ground black pepper. Experts say both Salt and University need to traditionally grow to strengthen a common solution. Finally, it is worth slightly rattling that this article was peeled until it made sense".

So perhaps we're a little way off yet before losing our jobs to Johnny 5, but it would seem that an automated instant news room with fully functioning artificial intelligence platforms is closer than we think.

Linked articles and websites bellow:

http://www.theguardian.com/media/shortcuts/2014/mar/16/could-robots-be-journalist-of-future

http://www.narrativescience.com/narrative-analytics

The Printed Battle - A Digital Journalist's Discussion

A Brief History 

The introduction of the newspaper into mainstream society aligns with my first post regarding humanities need to tell and pass on stories "What is Journalism and Why do we need it?". The printed newspaper business began in Europe during the 1600's shortly after the invention and small scale industrialisation of the printing press. This at the time, dramatically changed the way in which we tell stories, relay information and eventually became the key component in the establishment of the fourth estate; giving birth to the freedom of public expression.

That was then, this is now... Enter the digital age. 

The seemingly explosive entrance of the digital and new media age happened almost overnight, changing the face of journalism forever. Websites, Blogs, live news streams, social media and real time updates have coincided and fueled the fast paced and instant attitude society has for modern life; putting print journalism under an immense strain to fulfill its readerships needs. News organisations have either had to get on board and get online or face bankruptcy.

What has this meant for Journalists?

This shift has affected the nature of journalism in many different ways, some argue for the better in terms of user consumption and public voice. Others would suggest that the quality of journalism is suffering putting the whole industries reputation in jeopardy.The existence of the internet and online journalism allows anyone and everyone to have their say, in some ways this is positive and protects the ideals of the fourth estate. However, this also means that the quality of journalists and reliability of many new news sites is coming into question. As the general public, though we now have access to so much information, which is amazing, it is our duty to be careful with what we chose to believe and promote.

What could the future hold? 

The common view is that as technology continues to press forward the want and need for print journalism will become a thing of the past, leaving the newspaper to retire beside the printing press in a museum cabinet. I doubt newspapers and magazines will be completely extinguished for some years yet but perhaps we will start to see restrictions being made, in an attempt to regulate the press. Though with the internet as it stands restrictions would be near impossible, forcing the world into a new era of free public expression, maybe even giving the fourth estate more power than ever intended.

Journalism - Interview Skills

Good Journalism is dependent on often a total strangers cooperation. The extent of this cooperation and its success for an article happens during the interview. How a journalist manages an interview affects the final product more than any other component. In other words, its near impossible to create a strong article without a good interview. 

Bellow is a collaboration of tips I have found from various professional journalism websites, such as; matadornetwork.com and BBC Journalism Academy. 

1. Find a good location 

• Suggest a place with some relevance to either your topic or your interviewee.
• A sense of context will assist the interview as well as making the participant feel more comfortable.

2. Know what questions you are going to ask 

• Write your questions down. 
• Come to the interview with more questions than you intend to ask, this will be your savior if the flow starts to go stale. 

3. Balance conversation and interviewing 

• The interviewee is more likely to open up if the questions are proceeded by light conversation. 
• Also makes the whole experience more enjoyable and often will produce a better result. 

4. What is your medium? 

• Audio or video - ask two part questions for longer responses and for less prompting by you on the tape recorder. 
• For print you can be more conversational and verbally encouraging but ask shorter questions for better quotes later on. 

5. Be persistent 

• If you're not getting the answer you want, change the question if need be, don't be afraid to be a little annoying. 

6. Finally, Endure the awkward silences 

• Though cringe worthy at times, give your interviewee a chance to think and respond before taking over. 

With all things practice makes perfect, sculpting the ideal interview technique is a challenge that gets easier the more time you do it, so get out there and give it a go :)

Live Event Tweeting Do's and Don'ts

Live blogging or live Tweeting can be quite a daunting task, it requires fast thinking, concentration and a degree of organisation. Live event Tweeting is great fun, it provides an instant dialogue between yourself/ your organisation and the event, as well as getting your name out into that particular circle. So, here are a few live Tweeting Do's and Don'ts I have compiled from scouring the internet, to get you started!


Do's

• Do get the official hashtags. Without this you will miss out on almost all of the Twitter action. 

• Do make a list of the Twitter handles of the presenters, panelists and anyone else you know of heading to the event, Before you go! This will save time and help to get you all acquainted. 

• Do say hello, introduce yourself to a few people on Twitter before you go, this could spark pre-event discussion as well as letting your followers know you're going and to tune into the live Tweeting. 

• During the workshop or presentation live tweet by recapping information, commenting on the atmosphere, sharing relevant links, answering questions and re-tweet those taking part in the discussion. 

Don'ts

• Don't create a really long hashtag. Squeezing too much information into your hashtag will limit the characters for people to comment, so keep it concise! 

• Don't share random unrelated links, your priority is the event and whilst covering it, should remain the only focal point. 

• Don't only promote your own content, network with other people at the event and show your support on Twitter by re-tweeting them, questions and praise. 

• Don't ignore questions posted on your page, if you don't know the answer, suggest someone that might, using their handle or hashtag. Its a great way to get a conversation going! 

Get yourselves to an event or watch one online and practice practice practice. Live Tweeting is a fantastic way to get yourself noticed in a field and network with your fellow journalists.

The Advantages of Microblogging in Journalism

What is Microblogging? 

Microblogging is a variety of blogging first introduced by Facebook followed by Twitter and Jalku in 2006. A microblog post can be any information condensed into about 40 characters, which could include links, video, audio or visual information. This makes for a very quick process, especially helpful when covering live news. Since 2006 Twitter has taken over as the main platform for micro posts. According to The Indiana University School of Journalism microblogging is the most regularly used form of social media for journalists; the breakdown of their findings bellow indicates just this.

Why Microblog? 

Sites such as Twitter are used by journalists for many reasons. The three key reasons being promotion of themselves as a brand and their work, directly engaging with their audience and faster reporting. Most journalists would have a Twitter page and on such a link to their blog. A typical journalist Twitter page would have posts, questions and information regarding topics they are covering or interested in covering. The microblog platform allows a journalist to test ideas and ask questions, simultaneously curating (curation blog post to follow) receiving feedback and promoting their work. The chart bellow indicates the main advantages to social media and microblogging; again provided by The Indiana University School of Journalism.

How I used Twitter and What I Gained as a Journalist using the Site 

As a new journalist I found Twitter and the concept of it very exciting, it is a way to get my name and idea's out and into the cyber world of journalism. Before I could even begin posting and networking I had to design and set up my profile page, which as I learned it was incredibly important to combine a personal and professional appearance, as well as including the appropriate information about myself. With that done I have since been posting links to my blog, storify posts, commenting, asking questions and getting fast feedback on my ideas.

I have gained the most out of Twitter by asking questions, using hashtags, user handles and receiving feedback and answers pretty quickly; so that my posts and delivery of information is accurate and fast. Also as a new journalist there are many tools such as storify and tips I need to learn about blogging, asking questions and getting support from matured journalists couldn't be easier!

What is Journalism and Why do we need it?

Journalism is the product of an investigative journalist reporting and publishing on issues and trends to a mass audience. 

As it seems journalism is a pretty simple concept that everyone understands as a part of society and its structure. However, if we delve a little deeper, journalism or the business of storytelling is so embedded in our culture and has been around forever under different names and through different mediums but all to the same end; to satisfy a unifying need to document and communicate.  

The ancient Greeks used myths and theatre, Neanderthal man used cave art, other societies used songs , dances and eventually the written word to tell their stories and document big events. Story telling keeps us connected to our past, aware of our present and mindful of our future. 

Everyone has their own personal narrative and daily news stories which effect small groupings of people but are often of no interest to the mass public. The evolution of journalism is essentially this, story telling but on a regional, national or global scale. 

I think it is safe to say that the art of journalism is in our blood but why do we need it? 

The age old, "Knowledge is Power" has never rung more true, understanding and being made aware of what's happening in our world gives us, the general public, power and a voice on topics far removed from our daily existence. Storytelling also has a community element that unites people in a way that nothing else could, giving them a unified purpose and sense of belonging and what it means to be human.