The Disruption of Social Media

Abstract

Reporters and editors perform different journalistic duties in traditional newsrooms. With the popularity of social media, journalism is transitioning into a highly varied and diverse range of practices. Utilizing a cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire, the online survey (N = 1063) study seeks to understand how social media is disrupting the traditional collaborative model between reporters and editors in American newsrooms. The study found that newsrooms’ integration of social media and entrepreneurialism is blurring the line between reporters and editors. With journalists taking more entrepreneurial roles, the traditional collaborative model between reporters and editors is being taken place by a hybrid model – both reporters and editors take on promotional duties in addition to traditional journalistic roles.

Keywords:

• boundary work shift
• digital transition
• editors
• entrepreneurialism
• reporters
• social media

Notes

1. https://archive.news.indiana.edu/releases/iu/2014/05/2013-american-journalist-key-findings.pdf.

2. https://www.worldsofjournalism.org/download.htm.