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Twitter Journalism

Written by Cheesa from the blog Cheesa Chat on 22 Aug 2011
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As we know that social networking is growing in South Africa. People are now using social networks for different reasons whether to make friends, dating, business etc. With the hype around twitter right now some people say Facebook is dead. 


Many celebrities now are using Twitter more than Facebook. Even newspapers, magazines, editors and their journalists are on Twitter. There are also us "ordinaries" who follow these people some of them follow us back which gives us a smile when we notice. (I know some of you will pretend you don't).

So the social networking happens people tweet and others retweeting. Some celebrities are not afraid to tweet things that some people think he/she shouldn't have tweeted that. We know celebrities are “ordinary” people like us but seriously we can't run away from the fact that they're expected to behave a certain way especially in public. 


I guess this stuck with people since the days of "role models" and celebrities were mostly considered as people who should be good "role models." This puts pressure on them as a result now many celebs don’t want to be “role models”.

So as some celebs tweet whatever on twitter it gets people tweeting and talking and always on the look out for what's next. As we know journalists especially entertainment journalists are always on twitter. 

Obviously they follow celebs and they see when celebs tweet stuff that's causing a stare on twitter and decide it's good enough for them to write an article about it and be published in a newspaper or magazine. We have seen this with DRUM, Move!, Sowetan and Sundayworld. 


Not only publications write about what goes down on twitter even television shows talk about what goes down on twitter and have twitter discussions.

We know it's not new for social networks drama to make it to publications and TV shows. Facebook's big story was Slikour and Bonang's dumping story then after that followed many social networks drama articles and twitter has had many.

Some people disagree strongly with this twitter journalism saying our journalists are becoming lazy if they can just sit behind their phones and look which celebrity is tweeting trash then save those tweets and write about that. Recently we have seen that it is becoming an increasing thing in publications to see articles that are triggered by what celebs tweet on twitter. 


Many South Africans don't know anything about twitter it's just a small number of people who are on twitter but that does not stop journalists from doing their twitter journalism. 

They've even gone to lengths of having twitter 101 articles teaching their readers about twitter, which shows that they want their readers to be on twitter as they're going to write more about what's going on twitter.

I think they're disadvantaging themselves by doing this because if their readers are on twitter why would they continue writing about what goes down on twitter if their readers are there to witness it themselves? 

I mean it's so boring for some of us who are on twitter to read about what we witnessed happening there. So I don't understand their logic when it comes to this. Anyway... 

pic: Drum

Many magazines and newspapers wrote about Nonhle Thema losing her mind on twitter and Nonhle Thema and Dineo Ranaka exchanging harsh words on twitter. 

Drum wrote about Nonhle and Dineo twitter drama, She was recently involved in a cat fight with self proclaimed millionaire and former Vuzu presenter Nonhle Thema on twitter. 

We chat to Dineo about the public quarrel and why she felt the need to take a stand against Nonhle. She talks to us about laying charges and what she now thinks of what went down.


Now this week DRUM magazine has an article about Minnie Dlamini and Hush night club drama with all the tweets splashed around the article. They also have the twitter drama that happened between DJ Fresh, Euphonik and some girl two weeks back, which involved screenmunched direct messages (DMs) of DJ Fresh to this girl, something that made Euphonik to give the girl "desperate bitch of the year" award on twitter.

That caused a lot of noise on twitter and DRUM decided to publish an article about it. They even interviewed the girl and had DJ Fresh comment on the allegations. 


So does this mean they're going to write about every twitter drama? But then again if these celebrities tweet stuff that journalists see as newsworthy why not write about it? I think celebrities are also making journalists jobs easy if they can just attack each other on a social network like Nonhle Thema and Dineo Ranaka did or vent about whatever.

I mean it is them tweeting behind those twitter accounts so it's them saying those words so why not write about it if journalists see it as newsworthy? In some articles we do see comments from them celebs about what went down on twitter not just their tweets. 


So are you saying journalists should not use social networks to their advantage? If celebrities can use it to set scores and attack each other, journalists should just sit down and watch for dayyzzz? 

If they have to I just wish they can choose carefully what twitter drama to write about coz le bo Arthur are on twitter now.

So what's your take on twitter journalism or social networks journalism in general? 

eehmm... you can ff cheesa @Boni33 not that she's interesting just nje lol



17 Comments

Mrs Chix
22 Aug 2011 11:56

Ok all this time l was defending Nonhle and l started following her on twitter but to be honest the girl is losing it.

makisto
22 Aug 2011 12:13

I love this topic. We even had an assignment about it earlier tjis year and wrote an assignment about it, lemme read

ms.tebby
22 Aug 2011 13:27


What is this about Fresh? Im not following O_O

Cheesa
22 Aug 2011 14:09

Hihihihi Tebby you're no longer tweeting much kaloku. Its about DMs that Fresh sent to this girl wethu. The one that had people is the one he asks her how wet? So this gal screenmunched those DMs to show everyone. So it seems like the dj was hitting on her as she says. She even say he started by commenting on her picture in which she was wearing lengerie saying he's drooling over the pic. So euphonik came into Dj fresh's defence then awarded the girl.

makisto
22 Aug 2011 14:13

journalists should just sit down and watch for dayyzzz? 
kwaaaaaaaaaaaaa

So what's your take on twitter journalism or social networks journalism in general? 
Mina I think it's relevant but it shouldn't replace the old form of gathering news. They need to co-exist

ms.tebby
22 Aug 2011 15:57


kwakwakwaaaa! hayi...im going back to twitter, im missing out on a lot of mgozi, LOL!

carino
22 Aug 2011 16:26

****I just wish they can choose carefully what twitter drama to write about coz le bo Arthur are on twitter now.**** > > Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaa for dayyyyyyzzz. #deathness

PruLuv
22 Aug 2011 19:04

Great topic @Cheesa.

My worry about "Social Network" journalists is that they copy and paste a story as it is and that's the end of it.

If the source is Twitter or Facebook, they should use it as reference to an even bigger story.

It's a real let down when a story is exactly what was on Twitter or Facebook.  Like really now!

Cheesa
23 Aug 2011 08:30

Thanks Pru. 

I just read this article its interesting. It is talking about the Vodacom Journalist awards. Apparently theres going to be a new category called "Social Media in Journalism". Some people agree it should be done some disagree.

Cheesa
23 Aug 2011 08:36

Here's what another person is saying about this.....

"As such it has become an essential tool for journalists, but this feels a bit like giving an award for the best use of Google, or the best use of the telephone," says Harber. "I am concerned that the proliferation of award categories cheapens awards and am surprised they did not just make the use of social media a criteria in all of the other categories for which they are making awards. I fear that in the rush to be trendy, they may be demeaning their awards."

makisto
23 Aug 2011 09:31

If the source is Twitter or Facebook, they should use it as reference to an even bigger story.
True

It's a real let down when a story is exactly what was on Twitter or Facebook. Like really now!
True because there is no need for us to buy their publication you know.

I fear that in the rush to be trendy, they may be demeaning their awards." 
Said very well by a professional

mbulela
23 Aug 2011 09:34

'social network journalism' is an oxymoron.
you can't be held liable for what you publish in social media.
journalism cannot be that lawless.

pkpage
23 Aug 2011 10:00

I think the we should 1st understand what journalism is about. I was told what make news are people! I don't understand having to write about what's on social networks as "lazy journalism". It shows creativity and initiative to me and the right to inform your readers. You must also remember the above mentioned publications primarily deal with celebs and they are forever on twitter (a fact we cannot run away from). If we are to say they should not write about what's on social networks because we are also on them, then we should not write about anything because there are always people wherever something is happening.

PruLuv
23 Aug 2011 18:56

So for this "Social Media in Journalism" category. 

Who will be the elligible winner? Someone who copy and pasted tweets?

Please let me know so I could do the same and scoop an award. ***hides***

Cande
24 Aug 2011 11:01

i need to go buy this week's drum magazine

Cheesa
24 Aug 2011 16:25

I also agree that its a let down when they just copy and paste tweets I think that is why people are saying journalists are becoming lazy. Like Pruluv says above. Hence I say its boring for us who are on twitter to read tweets in a publication. I hear you pkpage and you're making sense but disagree with copy and pasting mna shem. I am not saying they must not use twitter. I think Pruluv said it better when she said they must use it as reference to a much bigger story. Believe me I couldn't finish reading the Minnie Hush article coz from the beginning it is what I saw and read last week on twitter so it was so so boring. I couldn't finish it. Hence I say if let's say all their readers join twitter why would they continue writing about what's up there when they are on twitter too.

Cheesa
24 Aug 2011 16:56

Excuse moi for not having paragraphs, I'm phone blogging ne.


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