Washington Post releases updated social media policy following Twitter meltdown among staff

The Washington Put up unveiled its updated social media coverage to staff Thursday immediately after the viral turmoil the paper faced earlier this month. 

“A Publish journalist’s use of social media must not hurt the editorial integrity or journalistic track record of The Post,” the memo attained by Fox News go through, “Your association with The Publish presents you a large system and could convey you a blue checkmark and extra followers. Along with that will come our collective duty to secure that integrity and name. This advice applies to material you article or amplify – these types of as in a retweet, like or share – on any digital platform.”

That steerage appeared to allude to Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel, who retweeted a joke about females. He was afterwards positioned on a one particular-thirty day period unpaid suspension right after getting rid of the retweet and apologizing. 

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The 2nd guidance pressured Publish journalists “must ensure that their action on social media platforms would not make sensible folks concern their editorial independence, nor make sensible individuals problem The Post’s capacity to protect challenges pretty.” 

The memo stressed it is “not proper” to use social media to “advocate for brings about difficulties, governmental procedures or political or judicial results.” The assistance also urged journalists to “stay clear of curating” written content “that propose you have a partisan position of watch on an difficulty The Post covers,” noting that columnists and critics are exempted. 

“Before you publish a put up on social media, question yourself if it compromises our newsroom’s mission to prioritize truth-finding,” the 3rd assistance pleaded. “Request oneself if it would be unsafe for your information to be connected with The Submit. Inquire yourself if the words or illustrations or photos you are applying – in particular if your information includes offensive material – will undermine The Post’s journalistic reputation for reporting the news fairly, properly and without bias. If the response to any of these is of course, really do not write-up.”

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The fourth steering, which called for Put up journalists to be “civil” and “handle people with regard,” echoed the memos earlier issued by executive editor Sally Buzbee when Submit reporter Felicia Sonmez went on the warpath towards her colleagues in several tweetstorms. Sonmez was finally fired for insubordination. 

“Social media is not the platform to have interaction in disputes with your colleagues,” the memo pressured. “When mentioning or tagging a person on social media – a colleague, competitor, supply or a person else – be informed that such posts can convey undue focus and often harassment to people who are tagged.”

The Article warned employees they simply cannot “publicly reveal inside conversations or communications concerning editorial difficulties these kinds of as coverage programs, reporting of tales, and selections to publish or not to publish.”

Other steerage mentioned bundled workers not applying their association with The Article for “private reward or personal achieve,” the protection of journalists from harassment remaining manufactured a “top rated priority” and that “benchmarks editors and deputy running editor for news functions are dependable, in concert with newsroom management, for making sure these suggestions are adopted.”

Fox Information reached out to the Washington Write-up for remark. 

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The current social media coverage, which was to start with noted on by The Each day Beast, comes just weeks soon after utter turmoil broke out amid Washington Submit personnel. 

The drama started when Sonmez publicly shamed Weigel for retweeting a joke critics considered sexist even though also placing her employer on blast. 

“Wonderful to operate at a news outlet where by retweets like this are allowed!” Sonmez reacted. 

Sonmez’s tweets berating co-personnel acquired general public pushback from at minimum two colleagues, reporters Jose A. Del Authentic and Lisa Rein, who Sonmez then attacked. 

Following Buzbee urged team to be respectful to one another, numerous popular reporters from The Put up expressed solidarity with the paper, all of whom ended up mocked by Sonmez. 

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Following six times of continual tweetstorms attacking colleagues and the Write-up, Sonmez was terminated.

Considering the fact that her firing, Sonmez has gone radio silent on Twitter, fueling speculation that she may revive her discrimination lawsuit towards The Write-up soon after it was formerly tossed out of court docket.