Many of us turn to social media to get the latest updates from our friends, reconnect with those we have lost touch with, or be entertained during a slow work day. But for many reporters, social media is now serving a vital function by being media sources when researching stories.

According to a national survey of journalists, conducted by Cision and Don Bates of The George Washington University, 89% said they utilize blogs for research purposes, 65% use social media sites like Facebook, and 52% use microblogging sites like Twitter. In addition, 61% of reporters use online encyclopedias, mainly Wikipedia. But is this new trend in journalism a dangerous development for fact checking or just a new use for the popular social media?

While sites like Twitter and Facebook provide a forum for millions to voice their grievances and rant about whatever is on their mind, numerous blogs and social media feeds have become trusted sources of information from organization  like Watchdog.org, Huffington Post, The Daily Caller, and many others.  These types of organizations that have a fact checking system already in place make their social media feeds a smarter choice to pick from. However, the reporters surveyed know that solely relying on social media as a source is not a reliable way to produce stories.  According to the survey, 84% said social media sources were “slightly less” or “much less” reliable than traditional media, while 49% say social media suffers from “lack of fact checking, verification and reporting standards.”

Another interesting aspect of this survey is what type of journalist uses social media and blogs more often for research. The survey concluded that journalists who spend most of their career writing for websites reported using social media the most often (69%) while magazine writers only turned to the online and social media only 48%.

So why does this study matter and how will social media influence journalism in the future? The simple answer is that this study shows that reporters using social media as a crutch to do their jobs. Reporters are looking to the various social media platforms as a necessary tool to be more effective, efficient, and thorough. With this, reporters are going to grab sources and contacts from a variety of walks of life to improve coverage and quality of their stories.

This study also gives websites like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs additional credibility and will increase their staying power and purpose. If Facebook is viewed as more than a purely entertainment escape, additional resources and reluctant subscribers are more likely to join to be a part of the social media movement.

Lastly, this study reiterates the power that online journalism organizations have in a world that is now more accepting of online news ventures. With more and more people getting their news from the internet, this study shows that reporters and news consumers alike are turning to alternative sources to get information.

Although no one knows the next social media website that will dominate the conversation, one thing is sure – social media is only growing in popularity and utility.

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