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"During this year's U.S. presidential election, it wasn't uncommon for political journalists to watch the debates with two, maybe three computer screens, a mobile device ready for push notifications and, of course, a social dashboard scrolling in the background. \nThese reporters tweeted, shared, GIF-ed and memed throughout the election, but were they helping or harming themselves? \nBecause of the speed and constant feed of information, social networks like Twitter have forced journalists to become more witty, critical and generally more interesting in their writing, to compensate for readers who had already already consumed that information via social. \nKerry Lauman, editor-in-chief of Salon said Twitter has raised the bar, not only for his publication and election coverage, but for all journalists and all news outlets. \nThe mantra Lauman operates by now: \"Be faster than anyone better than you, and better than anyone faster than you.\" \nAnd when it comes to political coverage, such as debates, Salon was forced to think about much more \"substantial\" pieces than what would've been accepted years ago, Lauman said, in conversation with Mashable's Alex Fitzpatrick at Friday's Mashable Media Summit.  \n\"You can't get away with knee-jerk reaction pieces now,\" Lauman said. \"The pieces need to be much more scrupulous.\" \nOne way Salon brought readers to the site during the election, as opposed to only its Twitter handles, was by publishing live blogs that featured strong, distinctive voices and real-time fact checking. It forced Salon to add to the online conversation and provide analysis, as opposed to contributing only snap reactions. \nBut often reporters are tweeting their analyses, critiques and judgements on Twitter long before publishing a story. And, Lauman cringes, those gems of thought get quickly lost in the Twitterverse.\nNonetheless, Lauman says he sees the reason why journalists share as they do. \n\"Twitter is the perfect focus group,\" he said. \"It's the best place to experiment with a line of thinking.\" \nLauman is also an editor who believes journalists should exhibit their personalities on Twitter, even when it comes to politics. While other larger publications restrict their reporters from tweeting comments on debates or political conventions, Lauman felt his reporters should be \"opinionated, full, three-dimensional people\" on Twitter.\nThat doesn't mean, Lauman added, that reporters shouldn't watch what they say and avoid being too glib. Today, unlike ever before, people are much more critical of everything, and often it comes down to a single tweet. \n\nSEE ALSO: Mashable Special Report: How Digital Is Transforming Politics\nThe social platform also exploded with memes this past election, Lauman said. Just watching the Romney-Big Bird conversation go viral in 20 minutes and then crest within six hours proved that journalists need to stay fresh and innovative with story angles, now more than ever. \n\"Twelve years ago, the Big Bird line might have gained traction in an op-ed or two and been kept around in conversation a few weeks later,\" Lauman said. \"Social blows things up into a white-hot frenzy now much faster, then subsides them just as fast.\" \nOne of those masterminds behind the frenzy? The White House, Lauman said. The Obama campaign, he believes, was exceptional at developing shareable visuals. The team extended its influence, developing the brand and using social science to master social media \u2014 something every reporter should know how to do. \nPhoto by Erica Gannett.\n\n\nRead more of Mashable\u2019s coverage of the 2012 Media Summit:\n\nHow Social Media Impacts TV and Film Ratings\nThe Nate Silver Effect: How Data Journalism Can Predict the Future\nWill Cond\u00E9 Nast or Hearst Create the Next Pinterest?\nTablet Readers Don\u2019t Want Interactivity, Says Hearst President\nHow to Monetize Without Hurting Your Community\nIs Twitter Helping or Harming Political Journalism?\nPBS Digital Isn\u2019t Your Grandma\u2019s Public Television\nNPR's Brooke Gladstone: The News Media Has Almost Always Been Fragmented\nDo Publishers Still Need Native Apps?\nHow Social Networks Are Redefining Journalism\nCan Ecommerce Keep Magazines Afloat?\nDon't Miss These Highlights From Mashable Media Summit 2012\nExperience the 2012 Mashable Media Summit on Storify\n\nSupporting Sponsor\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/11/30/twitter-political-journalism/>