Help me understand where the line is
Where is the line?
No I'm not talking about that line a person crosses when they say something they shouldn't. I certainly know where that is. Or at least I quickly find it when I say something a bit more crass than even I expected, and I see shocked eyes and groaning mouths. That invisible line is a bit easier to detect. But this new line eludes me.
Who is Jennifer Griswold the person versus Jennifer Griswold the brand? Am I an influencer? Am I vain for even asking these third-person type questions? My husband hinted I could be going through a midlife crisis. This might be true.
Here's the crux of my problems. I have developed as a reporter while being surrounded by old school journalists. I am trying to survive and thrive among millennials (and I think I may even be a millennial, but we'll save that for a separate identity-questioning post). There is a war among these two groups (or at least there is one in my head. But my head tends to make things much more Hollywood-fight scene than they really are). I understand both sides, but I'm not sure where I fit or where future journalists should fit.
I enjoy and embrace social media. I'm a Snap Chatting, Tweeting Facebooker who Instagrams selfies. Heck, I've got this blog. But I've also signed agreements (that I take very seriously) against payola and plugola. Don't send me something expecting a plug - not allowed. But isn't that so much of what social media is? I mean I've put a # or an @ in front of a lot of companies' names. Did I cross a line? I certainly didn't intend to.
Today I shared a post from the local police department complimenting our news coverage. That seemed to be the nice thing to do and more importantly, I wanted to share it. But we had a story today about how the police department was in a bit of a disagreement with other city officials over how the issue was handled. So by sharing did I show too much allegiance toward the PD? I didn't intend to take a side at all.
I realize these examples may be tailored to my profession, but I'm sure a lot of professions have similar concerns. And I think this post may apply to others because it also brings up this question - what do viewers want out of their TV reporters/journalists/personalities?
My husband has an odd obsession with South Park. Sometimes I overhear parts of it as I'm scrolling through my Facebook feed on my phone while sitting on the couch in front of the TV. This season is about people being unable to detect what a person is versus what an ad is. I worry that social media is blurring that line for all of us. We are becoming walking advertisements. Everyone is a brand and an influencer. I think that's awesome in a lot of ways, but it's also making it very difficult to adhere to the old school, objective journalism model.
Where is the line? Not sure but maybe we're teetering on it at all times. I mean, it is called online.
No I'm not talking about that line a person crosses when they say something they shouldn't. I certainly know where that is. Or at least I quickly find it when I say something a bit more crass than even I expected, and I see shocked eyes and groaning mouths. That invisible line is a bit easier to detect. But this new line eludes me.
Who is Jennifer Griswold the person versus Jennifer Griswold the brand? Am I an influencer? Am I vain for even asking these third-person type questions? My husband hinted I could be going through a midlife crisis. This might be true.
Here's the crux of my problems. I have developed as a reporter while being surrounded by old school journalists. I am trying to survive and thrive among millennials (and I think I may even be a millennial, but we'll save that for a separate identity-questioning post). There is a war among these two groups (or at least there is one in my head. But my head tends to make things much more Hollywood-fight scene than they really are). I understand both sides, but I'm not sure where I fit or where future journalists should fit.
I enjoy and embrace social media. I'm a Snap Chatting, Tweeting Facebooker who Instagrams selfies. Heck, I've got this blog. But I've also signed agreements (that I take very seriously) against payola and plugola. Don't send me something expecting a plug - not allowed. But isn't that so much of what social media is? I mean I've put a # or an @ in front of a lot of companies' names. Did I cross a line? I certainly didn't intend to.
Today I shared a post from the local police department complimenting our news coverage. That seemed to be the nice thing to do and more importantly, I wanted to share it. But we had a story today about how the police department was in a bit of a disagreement with other city officials over how the issue was handled. So by sharing did I show too much allegiance toward the PD? I didn't intend to take a side at all.
I realize these examples may be tailored to my profession, but I'm sure a lot of professions have similar concerns. And I think this post may apply to others because it also brings up this question - what do viewers want out of their TV reporters/journalists/personalities?
My husband has an odd obsession with South Park. Sometimes I overhear parts of it as I'm scrolling through my Facebook feed on my phone while sitting on the couch in front of the TV. This season is about people being unable to detect what a person is versus what an ad is. I worry that social media is blurring that line for all of us. We are becoming walking advertisements. Everyone is a brand and an influencer. I think that's awesome in a lot of ways, but it's also making it very difficult to adhere to the old school, objective journalism model.
Where is the line? Not sure but maybe we're teetering on it at all times. I mean, it is called online.
