Biz journalist use of social media increases

The proportion of business and financial journalists sourcing stories through social media has leapt in the past year, according to research from Broadgate Mainland.

Alec Mattinson of PRWeek writes, “Broadgate Mainland’s 2013 Digital Trends Survey found twice as many journalists now use digital means, such as Twitter or LinkedIn, to find story ideas or news tip-offs.

“More than 80 percent of the journalists quizzed for the study said they had sourced stories on social media in the past year, with 22 percent saying that they sourced content via digital means on a daily basis.

“Nearly half (45 percent) of journalists said they would be happy to receive corporate news via Twitter, though email remains the preferred channel for being contacted by PR professionals (87 percent).

“The survey, conducted in May and June this year, researched the views of both financial services journalists and in-house PR professionals.”

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Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.