NDM case study: News on the Tweet

1. Why are respected news brands good news for Twitter?

Twitter is not a news site, it does not come up with it's own news and report on it, it relies on other companies like CNN to publish content. These respected news brands give Twitter a good name because to an extent they're reliable and trust-worthy news sites which is what people are looking for. 61% of users stated that they use twitter to view the news, this increases twitters user statistics and will somehow enable them to profit from it.

1. Why in turn is Twitter good for respected news brands?

Twitter seems like a much more formal place and it is the place to go to upload breaking news stories. A news organisation may not update the Instagram profiles before they've posted something on twitter. Twitter also makes them more accessible as Twitter has close to around 3-400 million active users.

1. The report suggests that old and new media “are not, in fact, in direct competition, but often work extremely well together to enhance both the media eco-system and the consumer experience”. What evidence do they provide to support this idea? Do you agree with it?

The article looks at how Twitter and news corporations work together to benefit each other. They work in synergy as the news companies give twitter more users and Twitter makes news more accessible.

1. On page 24/25 of the report, the focus turns to 'gossip' or 'banter'. What example tweets from journalists are used to illustrate this? 

We see a tweet from the Daily Mail's celebrity section and it is a tweet about a Kardashian. This section just looks at 'news' stories that have somehow made it onto the news because the journalist can play with the words to make it more attracting.

1. Do you think the increasing amount of 'gossip' or 'banter' is harming the reputation of news and journalists?

There is a visible line between the more formal news and the gossip and banter; if you're watching news on the television you can tell when they're talking about a breaking news story in comparison to looking at a celebrity affair. It is making some news organisations appear 'needy', for example the Daily Mail with it's sidebar of shame and click bait stories.

1. What does the report say about trust in Twitter and journalists (look at pages 34-39)?

The figure used - 62% tells us that the majority of people on Twitter to follow trusted/verified news brands. This figure isn't that large and surprisingly shows that a large percentage of people would rather go else where to non-verified sources to find there news.

1. Do you think new and digital media developments such as Twitter have had a positive or negative impact on traditional newspapers?

I think it has had a negative impact on Newspapers and has of course affected the decline of them but it has done it's part in helping the brands. it gives them another platform to present their news on. This social media app is something different than Facebook and Instagram. Twitter carries authority and could be said to be the newspaper of the digital market.

1. Finally, how can we link this report to the vital current debate regarding fake news and Facebook? Do traditional news brands need protecting to ensure there are sources we can trust?

If something is verified, we can automatically trust it, this is also similar as people with a large following on social media can also be trustworthy. This is not always the case as numerous times have hoaxes been reported by large news organisations and opinion leaders. Traditional news brands just need to ensure that they are fact checking correctly and they should advertise this to make sure people know that their news is not fake. However, this can be copied by people who produce fake news so something else would have to be done create awareness about fake news. News organisations could come together and create advertising campaigns which spreads awareness about fake news.