This week Sky News and the BBC have both updated the social media guidance issued to their journalists.

Sky no longer allows journalists to retweet information from tweeters who are not Sky employees. The guidelines have been introduced to ensure that any information tweeted has been through the correct editorial process, to avoid incorrect information being reposted and to keep news desks as the central hub for information.

The new guidance also prohibits journalists from tweeting about topics outside of their designated field.

The new guidance has been met with disapproval from many journalists who rely on retweeting to build online influence and achieve long term career goals. Some believe that this move will damage Sky News’ reputation of delivering news socially, whereas others believe that the move will serve to protect Sky’s reputation, especially given the amplifying nature of Twitter.

Shortly after Sky News issued the update, the BBC instructed employees that they must update their newsroom colleagues before breaking news stories on Twitter.
Chris Hamilton explains the reasoning on the BBC editors’ blog: “We've been clear that our first priority remains ensuring that important information reaches BBC colleagues, and thus all our audiences, as quickly as possible - and certainly not after it reaches Twitter.”