Margaret Sullivan, the New York Times Public Editor, addressed the decision to have social media posts by New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief Jodi Rudoren edited before being published. Rudorden’s posts regarding Israel and Palestine on Facebook and Twitter have been criticized for being “too casual” and not sensitive to the delicate political situation.
Sullivan calls the decision to assign editorial oversight “a necessary step” in order “to capitalize on the promise of social media’s engagement with readers while not exposing The Times to a reporter’s unfiltered and unedited thoughts.”
Poynter looks at the decision to edit the reporter’s social media posts in a broader context. Jeff Sonderman argues that on beats that cover divisive issues, like Israel and Palestine, “prior editing of social media can be a smart move” but then goes on to say that editing every social media post is “probably unreasonable and impractical, and may inhibit reporters’ overall level of usage and experimentation.”
What do you think? Should journalists have their social media posts looked over before they publish them?
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