FRANKLIN- When rival local newspaper, The Foulwater News, received its quarterly report last month, Chief of Staff, Reed N. Wright faced some tough decisions. With rising gas prices, telephone bills, and rustic tape recorders crippling its bottom line, The Foulwater News was forced to make changes to allow the struggling newspaper to stay afloat.
“We made sum changes 2 r paper!” said Wright on his Facebook page last week, “Hope u like them, lol!”
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The biggest change noticed in the past month has been the utilization of social media, particularly Facebook, for quoted source material. In the past, The Foulwater News had prided itself on getting quotes or sound bytes straight from the source, removing any doubt that the words were taken out of context, or applied inappropriately. Getting the quotes required great effort, often forcing a reporter to drive to an event, burning up gallons of gas; or going through hundreds of anytime minutes, draining many a cell phone battery. This process put quite a burden on the Paper’s profits. With budget shortfalls in the past year, and in an effort to cut costs, The Foulwater News has decided to stalk local residents’ Facebook pages to scour for any information, any information at all, regardless of how relevant, truthful, or misspelled this information may be. |
In an editorial, Wright stated, “Facebook is far too fascinating to simply pass by. Everyone is scrolling through it all day at work anyway, so to not use this easily accessible treasure trove as a reputable news source would be a complete waste. It’s a money-saver and a no-brainer.”
“This is just the way of the times,” said CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg on his group page, The Facebook Millennium, “What better way to get your message out than by letting everyone (including that guy you innocently friended who could be a creeper) view your status and draw any conclusion they want?”
The infusion of social media has given the readership a new opportunity to interact with the newspaper. In another post to his Facebook page, Wright said, “Wassup Franktown, Nethng goin on out there? I C U got a new ride Mz. Jackson, sweet rims!”
The Foulwater News’ use of Facebook has had its detractors, however. With Jeff Parsons’ recent article about the newly arrested Snapping Turtle Rapist, several readers were upset to find themselves linked to the rapist. In the article, Parsons made several references to the Rapist’s Facebook page, at one point linking all of his 546 friends as accomplices and enablers. Jeff White, who is friends on Facebook with the Turtle Rapist, was furious, changing his status to, “Can’t Blieve that Foulwater! Just bcuz u watched TMNT 10 yrs ago with the dude don’t make U a turtle rapist 2!”
Local resident Mandy Thompson has since started a Facebook group called, “Citizens against using Facebook for quotable newspaper material.” The group has amassed a following of 589 members, and has seen an endorsement from Southampton Supervisor Riddick Eweluss. We, at The Jivewater News, were unable to indirectly reach Mr. Eweluss for comment, as he currently does not have a Facebook page of his own. When our efforts were seemingly fruitless, a brave staffer actually called Mr. Eweluss on the phone and learned that while he hasn’t seen the Facebook group page with his own eyes, it is “beautiful and splendid, just what the citizens need.”
The digital age has had a profound effect on the news media at large, and has sped the exchange of information rapidly. Not only has using Facebook as a quotable source lowered costs across the board for The Foulwater News, but it’s also been a story bonanza. With a slow news week, The Foulwater News reporter Jen Glamour ran a juicy story including a link to Rita Flowers’ Facebook page, where a relationship status change occurred, with the status going from “In a relationship” to “engaged.” “ 17 people liked it so far,” said Glamour, “so it’s a pretty hard hitting piece.”