Before I post my final comments on “The Reconstruction of American Journalism,” Leonard Downie Jr. and Michael Schudson’s report on the status and future of journalism, I want to briefly add to Steve Buttry’s give-and-take with Schudson about social media.

In his blog, Buttry quotes Schudson as writing:

Social media offer opportunities for citizen journalism and certainly we saw in Iran how important they can be under repressive governments at a moment of mass protest. But although this is certainly important, I do not see that it is already or will become a basis for sustaining accountability journalism.

Buttry’s answer:

Lots of accountability journalism involves gathering information from the public. Reporters are always going to have to do that through interviews (as well as data analysis and digging through records and other techniques). But social media provide valuable tools for accountability reporting as well. TPM’s reporting on the U.S. attorneys’ firing scandal during the Bush administration relied on crowdsourcing, and social media have tremendous potential for crowdsourcing. Accountability journalism like the annual Sunshine Week projects certainly could benefit from engaging the public using social media.

Social media can play a role in business models to support accountability journalism, in the actual gathering of information, in distributing the results of accountability reporting and in building audience for those results.

To write credibly about the future of journalism, including accountability journalism, you have to address the role of social media.

Buttry raises valid points about the power of social media for gathering information. But I think few journalists understand how Twitter, Facebook and similar sites also should be used to help determine what subjects they cover.

It starts with thinking about social networks not as trendy playthings but as communities in which people share information about their interests with friends. Instead of calling someone on the phone or having coffee with a neighbor to share news, members of these communities post information on the Internet. A music fan might start a Facebook page for a band he or she “discovered” at a club, or a Twitter user interested in politics might Tweet about statements a city council candidate made while knocking on doors for votes.

Journalists should recognize both bits of info as potential story starters. The city hall writer might turn that Tweet into a blog item which creates debate about an issue and leads to a story. The music writer might find that the band is talented and feature it in a column.

I did the latter many times during the four years I spent covering music and entertainment in Stockton. In 2006 I started MySpace.com/ianhill to keep tabs on what music fans and promoters were saying about local artists and shows. It allowed me to discover many musicians worth interviewing, find out about concerts before they were announced and make connections with sources in an environment where they were comfortable.

It was, at its essence, good reporting (if I do say so myself). And I never had to leave my computer to do it. Today I still tell aspiring music columnists about the value of MySpace in keeping track of bands and fans. Covering local music without having a MySpace page is comparable to covering city government without ever going to city hall.

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