White Papers
The rise of social media and its impact on mainstream journalism
A study of how newspapers and broadcasters in the UK and US are responding to a wave of participatory social media, and a historic shift in control towards individual consumers.
The aftermath of the Iranian elections (June 2009) provided the latest example of how powerful new internet tools like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are changing the way media are produced, distributed and consumed. Usergenerated picture or video scoops regularly lead television bulletins and the front pages of newspapers, whilst a new category of opinionated blogging is redefining the frontiers of journalism itself. This study explores how mainstream media organisations are responding to this wave of participatory and social media, linked with a historic shift in control towards individual consumers. The paper examines how journalists at leading news organisations in the UK and USA are increasingly involving audiences in the way they research and tell stories. It explores the dilemmas and issues raised by greater audience engagement through case-study interviews with leading practitioners and managers, as well as drawing on previously published interviews and research. It looks at how mainstream media coverage of breaking news events is changing, using topical cases studies from the G20 London summit and Iranian street protests.
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