Tweet this.
In the wake of the Washington Post’s muzzling of its employees’ Twitter use, the Obama “Jackass” moment and others like it, media companies are tweaking their guidelines governing their employees’ Tweets – or, at the very least, looking to clarify the rules that already exist.
BusinessWeek and Politico.com are among those working on new rules for Twitter. Other companies, like the Post and ESPN, already have them.
Check out the feature story I wrote on the subject here.
Below I’ve assembled a small selection of some Twitter rules being ushered in by news organizations:
Washington Post: “When using these networks, nothing we do must call into question the impartiality of our news judgment. We never abandon the guidelines that govern the separation of news from opinion, the importance of fact and objectivity, the appropriate use of language and tone, and other hallmarks of our brand of journalism. … What you do on social networks should be presumed to be publicly available to anyone, even if you have created a private account. It is possible to use privacy controls online to limit access to sensitive information. But such controls are only a deterrent, not an absolute insulator. Reality is simple: If you don’t want something to be found online, don’t put it there. … Post journalists must refrain from writing, tweeting or posting anything – including photographs or video – that could be perceived as reflecting political racial, sexist, religious or other bias or favoritism that could be used to tarnish our journalistic credibility.”
ESPN: “The first and only priority is to serve ESPN sanctioned efforts, including sports news, information and content … Prior to engaging in any form of social networking dealing with sports, you must receive permission from the supervisor as appointed by your department head. If ESPN.com opts not to post sports related social media content created by ESPN talent, you are not permitted to report, speculate, discuss or give any opinions on sports related topics or personalities on your personal platforms. … If you wouldn’t say it on the air or write it in your column, don’t tweet it.”
Politico: “In essence, Politico employees should behave no differently on Twitter than they would in any other professional setting. All of our standards and expectations for Politico employees apply to their use of Twitter.”
BBC: "If a blog makes it clear that the author works for the BBC, it should include a simple and visible disclaimer such as 'these are my personal views and not those of the BBC.' Unless there are specific concerns about the nature of their role (for instance because they are a member of editorial staff), staff members are free to talk about BBC programmes and content on their blogs. If in doubt, staff members should consult their line manager. Personal blogs and websites should not reveal confidential information about the BBC. This might include aspects of BBC policy or details of internal BBC discussions."
