The BBC just posted some pretty extensive guidelines for its staff related to personal use of social networking sites.
Most of the rules are pretty straight forward (don’t leave mean comments, don’t bash BBC), but still worth checking out as most of us are going to have to wrestle with these issues.
A few things I find interesting about the new rules:
*The BBC facebook-stalked its staff and found that 8 percent of the 11,899 with an account identify themselves on their profiles as politically liberal.
*Editorial staff have to get permission before joining any political group on a social networking site. If joining a partisan group is necessary to story research, they recommend joining groups for both sides of the issue and remaining transparent about your purpose.
*When it comes to BBC-related entries on sites like Wikipedia, staffers are encouraged to be transparent. The guidelines read, “We should never remove criticism of the BBC. Instead, we should respond to legitimate criticism.”
*I think what strikes me most is the tone of the rules. There isn't a lot of "never do this or you'll lose your job" in the guidelines, but rather an invitation for openness and dialogue between editors and their staff.
If you read the guidelines, what stuck out most to you? I know we touched on this in an earlier entry, but do you think should media organizations be rigid in their rules about social networking?
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I found the guidelines on blogging particularly interesting -- and germane, considering this is a class blog. Notably, the BBC does not discourage blogging; yet the guidelines advise to consult a manager before speaking to the press about the content of an independent blog. It seems that the BBC still draws a distinct line between blogging and "real" journalism, and this seems to be an industry consensus. Blogging may toe the line between personal commentary and journalism, but it is getting closer and closer to crossing it. Come to think of it, that gives me an idea for a post...
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