Social news: Connecting virtuality with reality in cyberspace

Abstract

This study seeks to understand how American journalists integrate social media in news production by conducting semi-structured qualitative interviews. Thirteen journalists and editors from thirteen newsrooms of variety size, and multiple platforms (newspaper, radio, television, magazine to online-only news organizations) were interviewed. Based on the media richness theory, the study shed light on how journalists delve into the virtual world, build connections between virtuality and reality through finding sources, interacting with audiences, constructing communities in the virtuality and integrating virtuality with reality into the news production process. With its rich multimedia features that allow immediate interaction between journalists and audiences, social media has become a rich medium that connects virtuality to reality in social news and, in particular, immersive journalism.