How reliant are you on social media to keep up on the latest news? How did you find out about the plane landing on the Hudson? What about the Boston bombings? Or the German Wings crash just recently? Changes are high that you might answer this question with social media. Over 30 % of the Americans get their news through Facebook, according to Pew Research Center.
Social media is becoming an inevitable part of journalism
Social media is transforming the way journalists break news. In a breaking news situation, journalists get an adrenaline rush. The eagerness to be the first to bring the story to the public, is what keeps them going. But in today’s world of social media, mobile phones, and the real-time 24/7 news cycle, journalists face competition from all sides: citizen journalists (eyewitnesses), official sources, and even friends and family are sharing news before mainstream news institutions have “published” official news stories.
A great Crowdynews example of the power of social media in adding breaking news to traditional content is where AsiaOne wrote about a Syrian Christian leader urges air strikes against IS in northeast. Soon after publishing the article, social media updates reported: US air strikes hit area of Syria where Islamic State abducted Christians. This is where social beats traditional news reporting. Other news stories that broke on Twitter first prove this too.
Social media is becoming a more trusted news source
According to a new report by Quartz a global survey of 27,000 people by PR firm Edelman reveals that 72% of those surveyed trust online search engines, while 64% trust traditional media. Social media fell behind both at 59%. The trust gap between search engines and traditional media is even wider when it comes to millennials. At Crowdynews we believe in the power of social content to complement your news articles. We notice a trend in people who are increasingly trusting news coming from social. Research from eMarketer shows that nearly half of respondents trusted social media for news and information, compared with 45% the prior year.
Crowdynews’ social content curation platform enables publishers and editors all over the world to easily blend traditional news stories with social commentary, keeping readers engaged on their site(s).
Curious how Crowdynews can supply you with breaking, relevant and real time content? Get in touch!