Ari Shapiro: Social media as an extension of journalism itself
This week, NPR International Correspondent Ari Shapiro went on a reporting trip in Izmir and Bodrum, Turkey, covering the migration crisis. In addition to reporting the story for radio, Ari’s been using social media to tell the story on his own Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.
Ari sent us this note earlier this week and we thought it was important to share with other journalists, too:
It’s slowly been occurring to me - and this trip to Izmir really drives it home - that for me, social media has become less a promotion/branding tool or a way of sending people to my official NPR stories (though it’s still those things) and more of an extension of the journalism itself.
The reactions to the photos I’ve posted on Instagram and Facebook have been intense. Earlier this week, I posted a picture of life vests for sale outside a clothing store. One woman on Facebook said: “That’s a sort of everyday awful I can barely process.” A commenter on a photo of a migrant whose raft sank wrote, “Reporting his story puts a face on countless stories of one of the worst humanitarian tragedies in the 21st century.” These commenters don’t view [these social posts] as an accessory to the reporting - they see it as another journalism platform, no different from the radio or [a news site].
I’ve realized that many of the people [following me on social media] are not following the news elsewhere. On Twitter, one person asked me, “With its economic issues, why Greece?” Someone else said, “Wow! The fact that Greece is a preferred alternative highlight their plight.” Clearly, these people have not heard news reports for the last year that tens of thousands of people are going to Greece. But, they’re getting it through Twitter [and other social networks].
Finally, when I got here I was in need of an interpreter who’s fluent in Arabic and English. I’d tried various contacts with no luck. After I posted one Instagram photo from Izmir, someone commented, “You’re in my hometown and I am not there to come across you. Oh, who am I? Just a big fan.” I replied, “Do you know any local Arabic/English speakers who I could hire to work with me for a few days?” She didn’t, but a photojournalist who follows me on Instagram did. I ended up working with a friend of hers who lives here in Izmir.
This was sort of an “aha!” social media moment I’ve experienced over the last few days. I thought it was worth sharing.
Ari’s note drives home an important point we’ve been making on the Social Media Desk: Social Media is an extension of journalism. It’s a tool all journalists can use to tell stories and reach audiences that may not already be connected with your news organization.
At 12 p.m. EST this Friday, Ari and Joanna Kakissis will be hosting a Q&A on NPR’s Facebook page about the ongoing migration crisis. Joanna Kakissis, NPR’s International Correspondent in Greece who has written extensively about migration.
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