What is the purpose of being a member on a social media network, if you are unable to express your opinions and conjectures on public issues? May be the Associated Press (AP) will be able to give an answer, considering that they have barred their employees from doing the same.
In a memo dated July 6, Tom Kent, Deputy Managing Editor for Standards and Production pontificates, ” Anyone who works for AP must be mindful that opinions they express may damage the AP’s reputation as an unbiased source of news.” On a sterner note the memo warns that a defaulter will have to face “disciplinary action.”
The memo was a reaction to personal opinion postings by AP staffers on social networks on issues like the New York Senate vote on gay marriage and on the Casey Anthony trial. Kent’s note stated that these posts undermine the credibility of AP colleagues who have been working hard to assure balanced and unbiased coverage of these issues.
Branding social networks as a public media, no matter how personal accounts are configured or friends selected, the memo said that staffers should avoid postings that amount to personal opinions on contentious public issues.
However, AP did not have any complaints regarding the vast majority of AP tweets on these stories – and on other issues in the news – which AP dubs as having been been completely in line with their guidelines. The memo said, “They pose no problem at all, and are consistent with the importance of AP staffers being active on social networks.”
Kent also asked AP staffers to refer to AP’s Social Media Guidelines where they may be surprised to learn that breaking news or referring to stories that AP has not yet published is also discouraged.
On being asked by Yahoo news, a spokesman for the AP news service declined to comment beyond the statement, adding he did not know whether the posts in question had been deleted.