This document discusses the challenges journalists face when participating in online communities and social media. It raises questions about how easy and appropriate it is for journalists to join online discussion groups, and what barriers they may face in building connections. Key issues are establishing trust among community members and dealing with ethical challenges of participating openly or covertly. The document provides examples of active online discussion subreddits and emphasizes the importance of transparency about a journalist's purpose and a newsroom's diversity for gaining access and trust.

1. An ‘open invitation’ to a new
beat
Journalists on social Media, messaging and online
communities

2. Key themes
Discovery Trust Ethics
Those who inhabit
these networks are
looking for stories to
find them in their
news feed
The biggest impediment
for journalists in this space
is establishing trust
The ethical challenges
for journalists seeking
to participate openly
or undercover in these
groups & communities
are very real

3. How easy and appropriate is it for journalists to join groups and
communities intent on peer-to-peer online discussion?
What issues and barriers are there in journalists building
meaningful connections in these online spaces?
How much of what can be observed in these forums would a
journalist wish to use or relay to colleagues for publication or
broadcast

6. 2018 Reuters Digital News Report
201 News Report

10. Some subreddit communities of note:
r/bestof
r/news
r/worldnews
r/politics
r/PoliticalDiscussion
r/science
r/tech
r/todayilearned
r/Depthub
r/AskReddit
r/askscience
r/relationships
r/2xchromosomes
r/communitychat
r/inthenews
Beyond ‘lurking’

13. Takeaways
Be clear about why you’re there?
Do you need to be undercover,
on a VPN?
Diversity of newsroom is essential
for access & building trust
Find my full report on Medium: https://medium.com/@markfrankel29