SoJ Web Report | Jan. 25, 2012
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| Photo by Jeremy Hogan |
| Carrie Ritchie, BAJ'08, has visited the school often, including talking to classes and moderating a panel on newspapers (above). She talked to a class this week about social media. |
Social media now is a respected go-to tool in the newsroom, says one alumna who uses it on the job daily.
Carrie Ritchie, reporter for The Indianapolis Star, spoke to students in lecturer Nancy Comiskey’s J200 Reporting, Writing and Editing class Monday about the significance of social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, on reporting.
“It really is the new tool to break news,” she said.
Ritchie, BAJ’08, was one of the first reporters at the Star to sign up for a Twitter account. Now most Star reporters, who were recently given iPhones, have Twitter accounts.
Ritchie said she frequently uses Twitter to report live from press conferences and court hearings. She also uses Twitter to find sources for stories.
“We’re tweeting about everything now,” she said. “It’s just fun to see how readers use the news that you give them.”
Reporters at the Star are required to post three stories on Facebook per day. However, Ritchie said Twitter users are more engaged in the sharing of news. She encouraged students to begin tweeting right away, even if they have few followers.
Ritchie drew on some of her own college experiences. She served as editor-in-chief of the IDS and was named Indiana Collegiate Journalist of the Year. She has been with the Star since graduating, and said she has seen social media evolve from a quirky pastime to a media tool.
Carmen Huff, a freshman journalism major, said she found Ritchie’s speech insightful.
“It was neat to hear Carrie talk about how social networks are such a big part of journalism today,” she said. “When social networks first came out, there was a big scare that journalism was dying, but instead of working against it, journalists are using it to expand their coverage, which I think is really awesome.”
Ritchie said social networks are powerful tools to share news and interact with readers.
“You really do start to think in 140 characters or less,” she said.
