Keep off the tweet

With NYT asking its reporters to restrict Twitter use, the question that begs to be asked is whether it’s possible to not have a public-facing social media account and still do journalism

In February this year, when news of Indian students being stranded in war-torn Ukraine started trickling in, every journalist worth their salt was scrambling for “the big story”. Twitter was where the first exclusive news breaks were being shared. Even though the narratives were starkly at odds—where India Today journalist Gaurav Sawant’s viral videos of students pleading for help from Kyiv station forced authorities to take notice, there was also Shaziya N, a Republic Bharat journalist, whose theatrical reportage and video clips, drew a plethora of memes—Twitter became an important tool to disseminate news from the conflict-ridden country. 

Despite people increasingly turning to social media for news, The New York Times, one of the world’s leading dailies with a circulation of 54.96 lakh, has decided to cut-back its use. Last month, the newspaper’s executive editor Dean Baquet and deputy managing editor Cliff Levy, in a series of memos, asked its staffers to either stop using Twitter, or at least, avoid using it too often. The memos stated that the social media network, “takes up too much of journalists’ time,  warps their reporting by changing who they see as their audience and the feedback they get on their work, is a major driver of harassment and abuse, and bad tweets are a significant reputational threat to the paper and its staffers”. 

Senior sports journalist Sharda Ugra has managed to dodge social media despite her employers asking her to make an account. Ugra says she always knew that polite, fun and friendly chatter was never going to dominate the space

Experts are seeing NYT’s policy shift very closely, considering how invested journalists are on Twitter. According to a May 2022 study by Muck Rack titled the 2022 State of Journalism on Twitter, 77 per cent of journalists value Twitter more than any other platform, and 39 per cent of them planned to spend more time on it this year. Thirty two per cent believed that the audience’s trust in them had gone up because of Twitter. One of the most followed journalist in the world on Twitter is India TV editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma with a follower count of 9.75 million. 

Mumbai-based independent journalist Kunal Purohit says that the changing political climate in India has made it even more vital for “journalists to occupy space on social media platforms like Twitter”. 

Mandaleshwar Singh, who has his own digital news site in Jaipur, uses Twitter to connect with politicians and other government officials, and ask tough questions 

“I joined Twitter as early as 2008. That was a different time politically as well; we didn’t have political parties participating on social media in a very organised fashion,” recalls Purohit, 33, who writes on gender, human rights, migration and development. “Now, we know that parties have a very specific and systematic way of setting a narrative on Twitter. It has led to a crisis of information.”

But, this has only made Purohit realise the vast potential of Twitter. “Look at how the BJP IT cell functions—the way they break down complex issues and make it palatable to the lowest common denominator, even if it is distorted or false,” he says, adding, “The point is that if those who indulge in disinformation are able to make news accessible, journalists can also do the same and give out information, which is fact-checked and accurate.”

American journalist Julie Bien quit Twitter in 2013. She now teaches journalism and helps her students navigate the world of social media to research news

In a 2014 paper, Dr Devadas MB, assistant professor, Department of Media and Communication, Central University of Tamil Nadu, stated how “an individual tweet does not require the cognitive attention of, for example, an e-mail message”. “Indeed, the value does not lie in each individual fragment of news and information, but rather in the mental portrait created by a number of messages over a period of time. This is what I describe as ambient journalism—an awareness system that offers diverse means to collect, communicate, share and display news and information, serving diverse purposes,” he writes. This kind of journalism then could go either way—bring important, but far-flung issues to the fore, or spread misinformation.  

For Ankur Paliwal, a Delhi-based independent journalist,  Twitter is not as much about engagement, but more a platform that helps him. “Since I write about marginalised communities like the LGBTQi, it has helped me a lot in my reporting. Recently, I was looking for an adivasi queer person, and I found them through Twitter. But, I am very careful. I don’t post opinions unnecessarily. It’s all about finding new voices.” Like Paliwal, Mandaleshwar Singh, who is a 21-year-old journalist from Jaipur, running a digital news channel Golden Hind, has been using Twitter to ask tough questions to authorities. “During the COVID-19 outbreak, Rajasthan had a post called ‘COVID Health Assistants’. Almost 28,000 people were employed. Now, their jobs are redundant. They have been wanting to protest. I got in touch with them on Twitter and covered the issue. Most newspapers in Rajasthan, unfortunately, are PR machines of the government.”

Independent writer Ankur Paliwal uses Twitter to help connect with the LGBTQi community. “But, I am very careful. I don’t post opinions unnecessarily”

While Singh hasn’t faced the wrath of trolls, independent journalist Neha Dixit wasn’t that lucky. Dixit, who writes on politics, gender and social justice, was harassed online, when she tweeted about the RSS’ involvement in trafficking children from tribal areas. Cases were also filed against her. “My home address was circulated on Twitter and someone even tried to break into my home. Pictures of my family were also being circulated online,” the journalist shared, adding, “I haven’t stopped doing what I do, but all this harassment does make me think about the consequences before doing an important story.”

She pointed out that journalists who receive threats and harassment or abuse online do not receive any support from the news organisations they work for. “No action is taken against the abusers. We do not even receive counselling or mental aid.”

Neha Dixit

The rise in social media news platforms, says Dixit, has also led to lazy journalism.  “Some newsrooms look at what is trending on Twitter and do stories on the basis of that.” She sees Twitter as a live press conference. “But, one needs to corroborate, fact-check, critique and add a set of voices, to make it a qualified report.” 
In a 2018 research paper, Shannon C McGregor and Logan Molyneux indicated that the “routinisation of Twitter into news production affects news judgment”. “For journalists who incorporate Twitter into their reporting routines, and those with fewer years of experience, Twitter has been normalised to an extent that tweets were deemed equally newsworthy as headlines appearing on the AP wire. This may have negative implications.” Sometimes journalists see a story as important because other journalists on Twitter are talking about it, rather than because it is newsworthy, the study stated.  
 
Despite how cool a Twitter profile might seem on the CV of a journalist, many have decided to put their careers on the line, and maybe even lose their Gen Z audience, by quitting the platform all together. Chintan Girish Modi, a freelance journalist, book reviewer, and op-ed writer, who has written for leading dailies and news sites, quit Twitter a year ago. “Leaving Twitter was a gradual process. Before that, I left Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. I realised that being assaulted by an avalanche of opinions was affecting my ability to think clearly and compassionately. I wanted to retrain my mind to process without pressure.” Modi says that as a freelance journalist, Twitter helped him connect with people, build relationships and find work, and once that was done, he left. “I am glad that I can now devote more time to reading and writing, rather than worrying about what to say, and how to sound clever. I can still check out Twitter on incognito mode without having an account, if I need to quote a tweet.”

Julie Bien, a freelance writer and Adjunct Professor of Journalism at California State University, Northridge, in 2011 wrote a positive review for a Jewish publication of the comedy album Suck It, Christmas by Rachel Bloom, now the co-creator and star of TV’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. After Bien tweeted a link to her piece, someone she didn’t know started trolling her with religious objections to the piece and contacting other people she knew. 

She hasn’t used her personal handle since 2013. When we ask her how she feels about being off Twitter, she says in an email, “Honestly, I think my mental health is better for not using a personal Twitter account. When I worked in a newsroom, I still used the outlet’s Twitter account for posting stories and reaching out to others... I still use it to follow breaking stories and occasionally reach out to people via personal messaging. I feel such relief not having the constant pressure to comment on whatever news story is happening that day. My every thought and emotional reaction to the world isn’t fodder for the public, and that really matters to my mental well-being.” 

Bien feels that most journalists use Twitter when “there’s a breaking story and they’re trying to find the fastest way to disseminate urgent information to as many people as possible”. “In that situation, I think journalists—though I certainly can’t speak for everyone—are relieved to have such an immediate conduit to the public.” The other main reason that they’re using Twitter is to try to get traffic to their outlet’s website, she says. “In this case, I think there’s a lot of pressure to come up with something catchy, and there’s also the constant fear and knowledge that no matter what, someone somewhere will take issue with whatever you post, however you post it. I think the level of vitriol on Twitter has led to a chilling effect on the media and journalists.” 

As a college professor, however, Bien helps her students navigate the world of social media to research news. “I do think it’s 100 per cent possible to not have a public-facing social media account and still do your job as a journalist. Until the public stops relying on social media as an outsized part of their news diet, we have to reach people where they are, and that’s on social media.”

There are some like senior sports journalist Sharda Ugra, who has never been on Twitter, and says she is doing just fine. Ugra recalls how throughout her career spanning over three decades, she has managed to dodge social media. Ugra says she knew that polite, fun and friendly chatter was never going to dominate the space. “I did not like the toxicity that came with social media, because there is so much anonymity and anyone could say anything to you and get away with it,” says Ugra adding, “Such huge platforms are very selective about their policies as to who they will cancel or what constitutes as hate speech. They are absolutely vigilant in the US and the UK, but when it comes to India, and other countries, they don’t seem to care.”

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