Introduction
The study investigated social media usage by news websites in the United States. The researchers used a sample of news posts from the most popular news companies to analyze the frequency of using social media in terms of source for the content. It also covered the quality of the used social media data and top social media as a source for news. The results showed that almost half of the chosen news articles referred to social media and used Twitter more than other platforms (Pantic & Cvetkovic, 2020). Furthermore, it was indicated that journalists tended to base their content on official written sources when utilizing social media in news creation (Pantic & Cvetkovic, 2020). Finally, social media application was noticed more in the news connected to entertainment and politics (Pantic & Cvetkovic, 2020).
Research Problem
The study’s primary concern was to investigate the modern trend of utilizing social media in news production in terms of its abundance and validity. The researchers were interested in determining the extent to which most popular news websites were applying social media, how they were using this data, and how it affected the quality of the news content. The insights from this study provided people with a more realistic picture of news creation trends.
Methods
The study was based on the analysis of the content sources in the most prominent American online news websites. First, the researchers investigated six typical sections among the news websites. Second, they chose the top ten news companies relying on several rankings. Then, the researchers applied a random number generator to determine the dates from which the samples of news articles would be obtained. In sum, they created a sample pool of 180 news posts. The study used writers to record various data about every sampled post. Finally, the researchers analyzed the data based on the following measures: number of sources, media posts, primary or non-primary sources, official or non-official sources, media items, and social media.
Findings
There were five key findings in the research. First, the study showed that 72 of 180 (40%) articles used social media sources (Pantic & Cvetkovic, 2020). Second, the study indicated that journalists generally preferred to use reliable, official sources from social media for their content (Pantic & Cvetkovic, 2020). Third, the majority of the journalists tended to refer to the sources in written forms, while photographs took second place in terms of frequency of reference (Pantic & Cvetkovic, 2020). Fourth, social media usage as a source of news was most common in the spheres of politics and entertainment (Pantic & Cvetkovic, 2020). Finally, the research found that Twitter was the most popular social media for reference as the source of news, highlighting the profound effect of this platform on newsrooms (Pantic & Cvetkovic, 2020).
Conclusion
The study indicated a common trend of using social media as source in the production of news. The findings supported the notion that the usage of social media in news-gathering was implemented in journalism as a normalized procedure. Moreover, the research confirmed that journalists tended to rely mainly on official social media sources in their practices. Finally, the study suggested an important role that Twitter played in influencing news websites in the U.S., especially in politics and entertainment.
Evaluation
I value this research for addressing such a relevant issue. With the abundance of misleading information in the modern world, it is crucial to know the requirements for distrusting a source. The article showed that the current trend of using social media in news production does not imply a decreasing quality of content. It also provided valuable insight into social media’s role as a contemporary news source. I noticed only one major weakness of this study: the sample size limitations that prevent receiving a more objective picture on the topic.
References
Pantic, M. & Cvetkovic, I. (2020). Journalism practice in a digital age: Utilization of social media in online news. American Communication Journal, vol. 22, no. 2, pp, 1-10.