Digital Gumshoes Investigative journalists' use of social media in television news reporting

• Published in: Digital journalism Vol. 5; no. 4; pp. 472 - 492
• Main Author: Abdenour, Jesse
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 21.04.2017
• Subjects: agenda building; economic aspects; investigative journalism; local news; news reporting; social media; technology; television news
• ISSN: 2167-0811; 2167-082X
• DOI: 10.1080/21670811.2016.1175312

Investigative reporting is valued by consumers and journalists and is vital to a healthy democracy. However, it is a resource- and time-intensive practice that is often seen as financially inefficient. With resources dwindling at local US television stations, investigative news may be suffering. This article analyzes empirically whether social media websites help investigative reporters to do their jobs more efficiently, as has been suggested by critics and researchers. A survey (N = 165) indicated that a large majority of local television investigative journalists use social media as part of their regular newsgathering routine. When this project's results were compared to similar surveys, data revealed that a significantly greater proportion of television investigative reporters were using social media to interact with the public, to generate story ideas, and to help produce stories, compared to other types of reporters. Yet this high rate of usage did not translate into increased investigative productivity. There was no association between greater social media use and greater investigative production, and investigative reporters at resource-poor stations mostly did not report higher levels of social networking. The findings suggest that social media practices have become common among television investigative journalists, but that traditional newsgathering methods still persist.