Views from Journalists: Social Media Practice in Malaysian Newsrooms

Abstract

Social media has transformed the world of journalism and opened up channels for greater communication between journalists and news organisations with the public. This research aims to identify the perception of Malaysian journalists on the use of social media in the newsrooms. In addition, the research discusses the use of social media in the journalistic practice of Malaysian newsrooms. Snowball sampling was adopted for in-depth interviews with journalists from various Malaysian news organisations. Findings suggest that the majority of Malaysian journalists view the adoption of social media positively as a medium to engage with the audience of the news organisation. While social media algorithm has their benefits, journalists expressed concerns over its technology that could lead to an invasion of privacy and confirmation bias. Finally, findings suggest that though social media adoption in newsrooms is seen as beneficial in many aspects of journalistic work, journalists are cautious about adopting its technology due to ethical concerns. This signifies the awareness of media literacy among journalists interviewed. This study addresses the lack of non-Western literature on social media newsroom practices. It contributes to the literature on newsroom practice in Malaysia and social media practice among journalists in nations of the South.