The Impact of Social Media on Saudi Newsroom - Essay Example

Thesis Proposal: The Impact of Social Media on Saudi Newsroom affiliation: Introduction Social media pertains to the modern technology used in creating an interactive media which allows the end-users to develop and disseminate their own messages as they connect to different media outlets and social media users (Pedersen, 2013: 210). Often times, the social media tools are online technology applications that are strongly dependent on Web 2.0 (Wankel, Marovich & Stanaityte, 2010: 8 – 9). Since the 20th century, the social media has played a large part in changing the way journalists are doing business. As a common knowledge, two most commonly used social media platform includes Facebook and microblogs such as Twitter (Crowe, 2012: 50; Reed, 2011). Specifically the actual number of active Facebook users has reached 1.23 billion worldwide as of December 2013 with 1.74 million more active users as compared to the previous year (Sedghi, 2014). With 645,750,000 active registered users, Twitter’s active users have reached 115 million each month (Statistic Brain, 2014). Other kinds of social media platform which can also be utilized in the collection and dissemination of news information include: blogs, CharRoulette, Digg, Flickr, Foursquare, Google Groups, Google Wave, Groupon, Hi5, LinkedIn, MocoSpace, MySpace, Orkut, SecondLife, Seesmic, SCVNGR, Tweetdeck, Wiki’s, Windows Online, Wordpress, Yelp, YouTube, and chat rooms like ICQ, Skype, and Yahoo Messenger (Pedersen, 2013: 210; Funk, 2011: 8 – 9; Wankel, Marovich and Stanaityte, 2010: 8). (See Figure I – Facebook’s Monthly Active Monthly Users on page 3) Figure I – Facebook’s Monthly Active Monthly Users Source: Sedghi, 2014 The globally available social media tools are useful in terms of making the general public become more interactive and more demanding in terms of the quality of information they receive from various sources such as the media (Pedersen, 2013: 210). It could also mean that the constant increase in the number of social media users has created a huge impact in the way the newsrooms are being managed today. For instance, because of the availability of social media technology, a lot of modern journalists have moved away from the use of the old typewriters and the need to cut-out old newspapers for their personal compilation purposes (Bakhurst, 2011). Using the social media tools that are available in most mobile phone gadgets, laptops, or other related mobile devices, news reports worldwide can now be readily available on a 24/7 basis (Sheller, 2014; Crowe, 2012: 49; Bakhurst, 2011). The Arab world has no doubt experienced an awakening of free expression. The world has witnessed the rise of an independent social media platform and the increase of engagement of its citizens on the internet. These social networks educate, prepare, enliven, make groups, expand straightforwardness, and look to consider governments responsible. To scrutinize the Arab online Arab social media sites, online videos, blogs and other digital platforms is to witness what is seemingly the most sensational and phenomenal change in opportunity of representation, affiliation, and access to data in contemporary Saudi Arabia history. Digital communications technologies have extended the devices accessible to practice singular flexibility of outflow, and Arabs are in fact discovering space online to express their conclusions and appreciate opportunities that would some way or another be shut off to most. Be that as it may while Arab Internet clients have picked up interchanges and specialized abilities to utilize informal organizations to prepare, the genuine effect wont be felt for quite a long time, possibly a couple of decades, spectators say, when desires and political administrations may have changed. Looking at all these changes, there is no doubt that the presence of social media platforms like the Twitter and Facebook has not only significantly affected the landscape of media and communications but also the daily business routines and organizational culture of each newsroom worldwide (Mabweazara, Mudhai & Whittaker, 2014: 17). In fact, there are quite a lot of journalists worldwide who are actively using the social media tools as part of their daily reporting schedule (Sheffer & Schultz, 2009). Considering all the changes that has taken place in the newsrooms’ management and practices, the proposed research study will focus on determining how the social media has affected or influenced the Saudi newsrooms today. Proposed Title “The Impact of Social Media on Saudi Newsroom” Aim of the Proposed Research Study The proposed research study aims to determine the impact of social media on Saudi newsroom. Research Objectives The main objective of the proposed research study is to discuss and analyze the ways in which the social media has changed the Saudi newsroom. In relation to the main research study objective, the following sub-objectives will be considered in the proposed research study: 1. To analyze how the social media has affected to collection and dissemination of news reports; 2. To analyze how the social media can be used in creating a breaking news report or stories; 3. To determine the differences between the traditional reporting practices and modern reporting practices using the social media tools; and 4. To discuss the acceptable standards when it comes to the use of social media in news reporting. Research Questions The following research questions will be addressed and used as a guide on how to complete the proposed research study: 1. To what extent does the journalists in Saudi Arabia are using the social media tools as a way of collecting and disseminating important news reports? 2. How do the journalists make use of the social media tools when creating a breaking news report or stories? 3. What are the differences between the traditional reporting practices and modern reporting practices using the social media tools? 4. Do journalists in Saudi Arabia observe a universal standard when it comes to the use of social media in news reporting? 5. Which among the existing social media tools are commonly used by the journalists in Saudi Arabia? Rationale for Selecting the Topic Although commonly use in today’s journalism practices, it is given that there are still some people who are clueless of the significance of various social media tools in the transformation of the modern Arabic Newsrooms. In the process of completing the proposed research study, readers are expected to gain more insight on how the social media tools play an important role in the collection and dissemination process of useful news information. One of the five research questions that will be addressed in this study focuses on determining the extent in which the journalists who are currently working in Alriyadh newspaper, alyaum newspaper, okaz newspaper and alwatan newspaper are using the social media tools as a way of collecting and disseminating important news reports. Therefore, completing the proposed research study will provide the journalists with a better understanding of the cultural differences in terms of the application of social media tools in news reporting practices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Emirates. There are quite a lot of existing research studies that tackles the significance of social media tools in the profession of journalists. For instance, Schifferes et al. (2014) focused on analyzing how the social media can be used in verifying and identifying certain news reports. Both Lasorsa, Lewis and Holton (2012) and Hermida (2010) focused on analyzing and discussing the practice of news twittering in terms of creating public awareness and promoting public communication between the journalists and the members of the society. Specifically the norms in journalism and the professional values of each journalist has been placed to a test as more and more journalists are being obliged to make use of the social media tools in their professional lives (Hedman & Djerf-Pierre, 2013). In respect to the copyright laws, there are some ethics that each journalist should consider when it comes to using the new media platforms (Hedman & Djerf-Pierre, 2013; Crowe, 2012: 52; Reed, 2011; Ward & Wasserman, 2010). In line with this, Reed (2011) discussed the ethical considerations when it comes to the use of direct quotes of information gathered from social media tools whereas Hermida (2012) explored how the use of social media has influenced the values of each journalist. With regards to universal ethics in global journalism, Plaisance, Skewes and Hanitzsch (2012) and Hanitzsch et al. (2010) have conducted an empirical study which aims to examine the ethical orientation of journalists in eighteen (18) different countries worldwide. Even though Plaisance, Skewes and Hanitzsch (2012: 641) found out that the use of a “country-level ideological factors” strongly influenced the way each journalists would have certain degree of “idealism and relativistic thinking”, the cases of journalists in Saudi Arabia were not considered in the said study. After examining the different ethical views of 1,800 journalists in 18 different countries, Hanitzsch et al. (2010) found out that observing the universal ethical principles are equally valued by all journalists in all of the 18 countries tested. However, the case of Saudi Arabia was not considered in the study of Hanitzsch et al. (2010). Despite the numerous studies available concerning the use of social media in the practice of journalism, none of these studies have tried to analyze the significance of culture in the use of social media tools in news reporting practices in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, there are several countries worldwide such as in the case of China and Egypt wherein the government would strictly regulate the use of the Internet and various social media tools to effectively control the spread of news reports (Crowe, 2012: 52). Therefore, completing the proposed research study will be worthwhile since information that will be presented in this study could contribute new ideas to the existing literature with regards to the relationship between the use of social media and journalism. Reasons for choosing the newspapers The four nespapers, (1) Alriyadh newspaper in the central region; (2) alyaum newspaper in the eastern region; (3) okaz newspaper in the western region; and (4) alwatan newspaper in the southern region under study are all privately owned newspapers. However, even though the newspapers are privately owned, self-censorship is extensively employed in the four newspapers. The other reason for choosing the newspapers is because all the editors-in-chief are appointed by the Ministry of Culture and Information. Additionally, the four newspapers are among the largest Arabic daily newspapers. The four newspapers also offer electronic news. However, the electronic news are closely surveyed by the department of the King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KASCT). Literature Review Between 1960s - 2000s, the profession of journalists has been strongly influenced by the Western-based press (Esser & Umbricht, 2014). Over the years, the traditional working environment of journalists has gradually shifted to a more digital and globally connected media environment (Hermida, 2012). Since then, journalists are obliged to become active in the use of social media on a 24/7 basis (Hedman & Djerf-Pierre, 2013). Today, the use of social media tools are considered useful particularly when it comes to generating and disseminating information worldwide (Reed, 2011). As a common knowledge, the use of social media networks such as blogs can strongly influence how the general public would perceive certain social, economic, or political issues (Allgaier et al., 2013). For this reason, newsrooms such as the Associated Press are actively using microblogs such as the Tumblr or Twitter as a way of spreading out online news reports (Crowe, 2012, p. 49). In the case of online news media, Crowe (2012: 50) revealed that some of the media companies are using Skype as part of their planning process and preparations for an actual interview which will be streamed on television media or perhaps as online news videos which can be posted on YouTube. Even though journalists have the option to make use of social media tools like twitter as a way of creating alert on certain events or important issues, Knight (2012) revealed that journalists in Iran tend to avoid using the social media when it comes to generating primary information for their news reports. Instead of relying on unverified facts and information online, journalists in Iran practice the traditional way of gathering statements directly from the involved political parties or celebrities as well as experts opinion when discussing economic and political issues (Knight, 2012). In relation to the use of twitter, Lasorsa, Lewis and Holton (2012: 19) revealed that the use of this particular social media tool enables the journalists to “freely express opinions” as it provides the general viewers with transparency concerning the personal information of the bloggers. Often times, twitter users with very few connections tend to have a lower score on public’s trust whereas twitter users with a lot of followers tend to have higher score on public’s trust (Westerman, Spence & van der Heide, 2012). Since the use of twitter is useful in terms of making the journalists accountable for their own personal statements, this particular social media tool is considered important in terms of being able to judge how these professionals perform their work and professional duties to the public (Lasorsa, Lewis & Holton, 2012). When using direct quotes generated from these social media tools, Reed (2011) mentioned that there will always be some ethical considerations each journalist should observe. In general, Twitter is a good example of social media tools that can be used in generating affective news reports and storytelling. After exploring the impact of news storytelling through the use of “#egypt hashtag” on Twitter between January 25 to February 25, 2011, Papacharissi and de Fatima Oliveira (2012) found out that the use of Twitter enables the users to generate not only strong emotional opinion and various news reports. Since all these mixed responses can be seen under one hashtag, not all target audiences will be able to accurately follow the flow of arguments made on certain topics (Papacharissi & de Fatima Oliveira, 2012). After examining the effects of social media spaces on news consumption among the 1,600 Canadian citizens, Hermida et al. (2011) found out that the use of social media has a significant effect on news dissemination for Canadians such that 2/5 of the social networking site users are able to receive news report from group of friends they have on Facebook and that 1/5 of online news reports that spread through the social media networks actually comes directly from professional journalists. To increase the chances of being able to stream online news report on a real-time basis, some online news companies are encouraging the general public to actively participate in making use of the social media tools when reporting about their community surroundings or to upload useful photos or videos taken from their mobile phone gadgets or smartphones which can be use for online news streaming reports (Crowe, 2012: 50 – 51). Proposed Research Method The proposed research method is purely qualitative by nature. In line with this, case study is one of the traditional ways of conducting a qualitative research study (Jackson, 2011: 104). To determine the impact of social media on Saudi newsroom, the proposed research study will purposely examine four (4) different newspapers as part of the model cases. In line with this, the proposed research study will make use of the following newspapers: (1) Alriyadh newspaper in the central region; (2) alyaum newspaper in the eastern region; (3) okaz newspaper in the western region; and (4) alwatan newspaper in the southern region. When analyzing the impact of social media on newsrooms, Mabweazara, Mudhai and Whittaker (2014: 18) mentioned that the process of conducting “content analyses” is essential on top of speaking directly to journalists who are currently working within the newsrooms environment. With this in mind, the proposed research study was purposely design into two (2) parts. Basically, the first part will focus on data gathering through the use of content analysis and Ethnography observation technique. Content analysis will involve study of content of the four newspapers with reference to contexts, intentions contained in the messages, and the meaning. On the other hand, ethnography observation technique will involve both direct observation and reflection on what has already been observed. Through this technique, In line with this, the researcher will gather useful observational information from each of the four (4) pre-selected newspapers. Using observational method, the researcher will closely examining whether or not each of the pre-selected newspapers are using some form of social media tools in spreading out the news worldwide. On the other hand, the second part of the research method is purely qualitative by nature. In line with this, a one-on-one research interview will be conducted with four (4) qualified research interviewees. Regardless of age, gender, nationality, or race, each of the qualified four (4) research interviewees should be working directly in each of the four (4) pre-selected newspapers as a journalist for at least five (5) consecutive years. (See Figure I – Summary of the Proposed Research Study on page 11) Figure I – Summary of the Proposed Research Study In general, there are quite a lot of valid reasons why ethnography observation technique was chosen over the use of research survey method. First of all, as compared to the use of observational method, qualitative or subjective answers written in multiple self-administered research survey questionnaires is not easy to interpret (Cargan, 2007: 141). Through the use of ethnography observational research technique, the researcher will have more option to increase knowledge based on concrete observable fact. Likewise, other reasons for selecting the ethnography observational technique is that this particular research method is less time consuming and less costly on the part of the researcher (Jackson, 2011: 100). As a form of qualitative research method, the use of ethnography observational technique in research studies is all about being able to collect useful primary data based on non-verbal cues (Bailey, 1994: 242). Instead of gathering and analyzing verbal or written cues, Bailey (1994: 242) explained that observational research method is collects useful data through the use of the five human senses (i.e. visual, smell, touch, hearing, etc.). In the proposed research study, pure visual observation will be used in examining the way most journalists who are currently working for Alriyadh , alyaum , okaz and alwatan newspapers would gather and disseminate information to the general public. Using observation research method, the researcher can easily avoid misleading information coming from research participants who would try to control or manipulate their subjective answers to each research question. Content analysis is the analysis of what is contained in a message. In a broader sense, content analysis is a method where the content of a message is believed to form the root of drawing conclusion and inference about the content (Nachmias & Nachmias, 1976: 135). However, conducting content analysis will mainly fall under the interface of document analysis and observation. Conducting a research interview is another type of qualitative research method. Basically, there are few valid reasons why there is a need to conduct a one-on-one research interview with at least one research interviewee from each of the four (4) pre-selected newspaper companies (i.e. Alriyadh , alyaum , okaz and alwatan ). First instance, the process of conducting an interview with at least one research interviewee from each of the four (4) pre-selected newspaper companies will provide the researcher a more subjective insight with regards to how the social media is being utilized in each of these four (4) newspaper companies. Secondly, the use of open-ended questions such as those presented on Appendix 1 on page ___ will provide the researcher the benefit of having more flexibility and control over the information that needs to be gathered in this study (Jackson, 2011: 104). To increase the chances wherein the research interview is aligned with the aims of the study and research objectives, a semi-structured interview questionnaire will be used in the proposed research study. Using the semi-structured interview questionnaire, the researcher will purposely ask about each of the four (4) journalists’ personal experiences particularly when it comes to their habit, personal impression or adaptation in the use of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook in their newsroom environment. (See Appendix I – Proposed Semi-structured Interview Questionnaire on page) In relation to privacy in research ethics, the personal information of people who has voluntarily agreed to participate in the actual research interview will be kept confidential at all times (King & Horrocks, 2010: 117; Buchanan, 2004: 140). Specifically the process of informing the research interviewees that their personal information will be kept anonymous at all times will increase the chances wherein the researcher could convince a prospective research interviewee to participate in the actual research study. Instead of addressing each of the four (4) research interviewees by their first name, the researcher has decided to identify each of the research interviewees as research interviewee number 1, research interviewee number 2, and so on. Likewise, in respect of informed consent, each of the four (4) research interviewees will be given the option to choose on whether to participate or not to participate in the actual research interview (Liamputtong, 2008: 124). Because of the research interviewees’ busy schedule, the actual research interview process will purposely be limited between 20 to 25 minutes per research interviewee. Proposed Research Schedule To complete the proposed research study, the first half-a-week will be spent on deciding on the final research topic followed by making a draft on the proposed research method and framework. Starting on the 2rd week, a literature review will be conducted followed by designing the official semi-structured research interview questionnaire based on the main purpose of the proposed research study and research objectives. Basically, it is necessary to conduct the literature review first so that the researcher would know what is already known on the research topic before actually designing the semi-structured research questionnaire. Since the quality and accuracy of the research findings is totally dependent on the type of research questions asked during the actual research interview, a total of 21/2 weeks will be spent in the actual design of the semi-structured questionnaire. This will give the researcher more time to go through each of the research question again and again. It is not easy to find qualified research interviewees who will agree to participate in this study. For this reason, a total of three and half weeks will be spent on the search for qualified research interviewees. Right after locating at least four (4) qualified research interviewees, the researcher will set a schedule with them for the actual research interview followed by analyzing the research findings together with the gathered literature review. Between the 7th and 8th week, the researcher will finalize the research study report. (See Figure II – Proposed Time Schedule on page 15) Figure II – Proposed Time Schedule Events 1 Selecting the final research topic   2 Draft on research method and framework     3 Conduct a literature review.     4 Complete the semi-structured research interview questionnaire       5 Search for qualified research interviewees 6 Conduct actual research interview 7 Analyze research findings 8 Finalize the research study       1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Appendix I – Proposed Semi-structured Interview Questionnaire Good morning/afternoon sir/madam. Many thanks for accepting my invitation for this one-on-one research interview. 1. Could you please tell me the number of years have you been working as a journalist for ---- (i.e. Alriyadh , alyaum , okaz and alwatan )? 2. Does the government in Saudi Arabia control the use of the Internet and spread of online news report via social media? Kindly elaborate your answer. 3. What do you think is the difference between traditional reporting practices and modern reporting practices via social media tools? 4. Based on your personal experience, to what extent do journalists working in ---- (i.e. Alriyadh , alyaum , okaz and alwatan newspapers ) are using the social media tools as a way of collecting and disseminating important news reports? 5. Do you know any journalists working in your company who gather potential news information from online bloggers? 6. What is the standard procedure your company is using when it comes to generating news reports? 7. Do journalists working in your company make use of social media networks in sending out messages from the intra-news-room to the news desk? 8. Are there any cases wherein one or more journalists from your company make use of social media tools in creating a breaking news report or stories? Kindly elaborate. 9. Do journalists in Saudi Arabia observe a universal standard when it comes to the use of social media in news reporting? Kindly elaborate. 10. Which among the existing social media tools are commonly used by the journalists in Saudi Arabia? *** Thank you! *** References Allgaier, J., Dunwoody, S., Brossard, D., Lo, Y.-Y., & Peters, H. (2013). Journalism and Social Media as Means of Observing the Contexts of Science. BioScience, 63(4), pp. 284-287. Bailey, K. (1994). Methods of Social Research. 4th Edition. NY: The Free Press. Bakhurst, K. (2011, September 9). How has social media changed the way newsrooms work? BBC News. 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Computers in Human Behavior, 28(1), pp. 199-206. Read More