Effects of Social Media on News Publication: a Case Study of the Standard Group

Abstract

News institutions are continually rethinking and redesigning their strategies because of the potentially disruptive effects of social media. The emergence of new media has affected operations of news organizations as well as the manner in which audiences consume news. The debate on the effect of social media on news publication continues amid technological disruptions. Current literature on social media usage in the context of journalism practice has largely delved into use of social media as a means of news gathering or news distribution, and consumption. This study was informed by the following objectives: to assess social media effects on news publication; to examine the adoption of social media on news publication at the Standard Group; and to determine the effects of social media on news publications at the Standard Group. This was a qualitative study with a cross-sectional research design, which sought to determine the effects of social media on news publication at the Standard Group. Key informant interviews were conducted with news staff of the Standard Group who were purposively selected. The sample size of the study constituted of 10 seasonal editors. The Standard Group’s social media policy and the digital/online department documentation of policies, procedures and work instructions were reviewed to obtain information about the effects of social media on news publication. Further, the news institution’s social media sites were analyzed to gain a deeper understanding on use of social networks for news publication. Analysis of qualitative data was done thematically. The data is presented in a narrative description and verbatim quotes. The overall findings of the study show that social media has become a major news source, it has proliferated hate speech and falsity, affected exclusivity in breaking of news, led to content disruption, steered versatility and creativity in news publication, and affected publication of breakings news. Further, the results of the study establishes that the Standard Group has adopted social media primarily to break stories in real time, receive feedback and interact with its content users, post links to stories, preview newspapers, as well as a news platform for production and publication of news. Social media has disrupted news sourcing, processing, and created opportunities for the media house to shift towards a digital newsroom. The study further shows that social media has improved audience experience and given rise to a new structure of work at the Standard Group. This digital media technology has further stirred the need for multimedia journalism at the Standard Group. The study recommends that media institutions and journalists to fact check and verify information they source and process as news from social media platforms.