Organizational adaptations to social media: How social media news workers in the Philippines are embedded in newsrooms and influences on editorial practices

Abstract

Through interviews with journalists from four top online newsrooms in the Philippines, this study examined the organizational arrangements surrounding social media teams and how these influence social media being incorporated into journalism decisions. Organizations considered audience preferences in their editorial decisions, but they depended on arrangements surrounding social media teams. Some organizational arrangements included inclusion of social media editors in story conferences and meetings, collaboration between reporters and social media teams, and direct exposure of top editors to engagement analytics. Drivers of news organizations incorporating social media into newsmaking processes include mass-market orientation, primacy of digital over print/television news formats, and history of a legacy brand.