SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

JULY 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Overview Social media rules of thumb(s) Policy details
1. Be smart 2. Traditional rules still apply online Confidentiality Copyright Sourcing & verification Corrections Legal issues Visuals 3. Precedence Breaking news is broken simultaneously CP exclusives hit the wire first Provide links to the bigger picture Live tweeting 4. You are the canadian press A word about personal opinions It's all public 5. Be a person, not an account 6. When in doubt, ask

Appendices FAQs Twitter principles

POLICY DETAILS
OVERVIEW
Social media platforms, from Twitter and Facebook to Instagram and Pinterest, are a growing part of everyday life for our readers and users, and a popular way to communicate for many people. They have become essential tools for journalism too. This document is intended to be used as a guide for staff of The Canadian Press who use social media in both their work and private lives. It will function alongside other company rules, including the Policy on Outside Activity and the guidelines contained within the Stylebook. It will replace the existing Social Networking Policy. We expect common sense to be the overriding principle guiding staff behaviour on social networks. We all have a stake in upholding The Canadian Presss reputation as a fair and impartial media organization, even in our personal activity away from work. The policy is the outcome of weeks of meetings, research and discussions involving the Social Media Policy Committee and staff across the country. The committee, formed in March 2013, includes Canadian Press staff from editorial, human resources, sales & marketing, and the English and French sides of our business. While we have endeavoured to be comprehensive, social media is a rapidly moving target. Consider this document written in pencil, to be revised as often as changes to the social media landscape warrant.

Social Media Policy Committee: Heather Boyd, Tara Brautigam, Marissa DMello, David Friend, Ellen Huebert, Allison Jones, James Keller, Megan Leach, Stephanie Levitz, Andrew Lundy, Mlanie Marquis, James McCarten, Malcolm McNeil, Alex Panetta, Colin Perkel, Graeme Roy, Julie Scott

SOCIAL MEDIA RULES OF THUMB(S)

BE SMART
CP hires intelligent professionals. You are one of them. Use those smarts on social media: take some time and think about what youre posting, and ke ep it intelligent and professional at all times.

TRADITIONAL RULES STILL APPLY ONLINE

CP adheres to time-proven and battle-tested policies and principles. These include corporate rules about confidentiality, copyright and privacy, journalism best practices concerning sourcing, verification, libel, conflict of interest and fairness. They apply no matter what platform youre on and will help you navigate the often murky online world.

PRECEDENCE IS IMPORTANT
The speed and ease of digital publishing poses challenges for The Canadian Presss traditional workflows and client relationships. We have a paying subscriber base that expects news to flow over the channels they pay for the wire but that base is also using social media (Twitter in particular) as a parallel news service. Be mindful of that duality.

YOU ARE THE CANADIAN PRESS

No matter what account or platform youre on, you can and will be tied to The Canadian Press. Thats not just a caution to mind your Ps and Qs, it will also help you connect with people to solicit and acquire information, and to tell stories.

BE A PERSON, NOT AN ACCOUNT

Despite all the cautions and caveats, remember social media is made of people. So treat others the way you want to be treated, and remember its OK to have some fun.

WHEN IN DOUBT, ASK

Social media is an ever-evolving world and were all still figuring it out. When in doubt, ask a supervisor. The more brains, the better. If there is still doubt, leave it out.

1. BE SMART
CP hires intelligent professionals. You are one of them. Use those smarts on social media: take some time and think about what youre posting, and keep it intelligent and professional at all times. The ease with which we can publish and the speed of the information stream make for a dangerous combination. It's a combination that has helped create embarrassing mistakes for major media, has helped push seasoned journalists over the line of their corporate policies and professional rules, and lowered the image of media in the eyes of the public. Being first is never more important than being right, no matter what our peers are posting online. Always properly source information you get from any platform, and resist the temptation to retweet simply because a major media outlet is doing so. Established media wrongly reported the death of Gordon Lightfoot, and blew multiple angles of both the Sandy Hook shootings and the Boston Marathon bombings, all in a rush to be first and all fuelled by digital sourcing. Remember, when one media outlet retweets another, that is not a double-sourced story. It may not even be single-sourced. Do your own research, pick up the phone, work your contacts. Its also worth noting that social media is particularly susceptible to hoaxes and hacking. Even posts from seemingly legitimate accounts may be the result of hackers gaining control and issuing false information. Always double check. The same go-slow advice applies when posting as an individual. Social media lends itself to instant reactions and judgments. Avoid joining in. In fact, smart and calm reflection should be what separates you as a professional from the digital noise. And no matter what platform you're on, it's always good advice to pause before hitting send to review what you're sending, and to think through the consequences of what's being sent.

2. TRADITIONAL RULES STILL APPLY ONLINE

CP adheres to time-proven and battle-tested policies and principles. These include corporate rules about confidentiality, copyright and privacy, journalism best practices concerning sourcing, verification, libel, conflict of interest and fairness. They apply no matter what platform youre on and will help you navigate the often murky online world. CONFIDENTIALITY: Don't post about internal plans, potential business moves, personnel matters, or financial considerations. COPYRIGHT: Be careful when sourcing material digitally. Just because something has been posted online -- whether it's a website, blog, Twitter, Flickr, Facebook -does not make it public domain. Always seek permission to use from the author or creator of the content, and always cite the source when using. In some cases fair dealing may allow us to use otherwise copyrighted content, but consult a supervisor before proceeding. See VISUALS below for a fuller explanation of social medias impact on our use of visuals. SOURCING & VERIFICATION: Always seek multiple sources for both confirmation and balance, and never assume a retweet -- even by a trusted source or outlet -- is a confirmation of accuracy. As in the print and broadcast spheres, asking a source how do you know that? is always a good idea. Do, however, use social media to crowdsource information: find reliable sources online and utilize their expertise, location and/or immediacy to extend your reach. Proper crowdsourcing will be part of our digital training regime. CORRECTIONS: We handle corrections diligently no matter the platform, but the speed and viral nature of social media can make it challenging to correct errors or pull back content. The brevity and speed of Twitter makes it worthy of unique attention. If an errant tweet merits an official correction (rather than, say, correcting a simple typo), follow a three-step process: 1. Confirm with supervisors that we must delete for legal or journalistic reasons. 2. Delete the tweet or tweets. 3. Follow up the deletion with a corrective tweet, in accordance with the directive below about consulting Main Desk and counsel. Never delete without explaining why -- on social media, transparency is the gold standard for trustworthiness. LEGAL ISSUES: For legal concerns or questions about our social media activity, the protocol is the same as with a problem story: contact Main Desk Toronto, which can seek legal advice from CP counsel. Incorrect or careless wording on, for instance, a corrective tweet's reference to a problem tweet that was deleted could compromise CP's legal position and cause additional problems, so care must be taken and legal advice considered in such cases. Reporters should take extra care if posting on a legally sensitive story. The nature of many social media platforms makes the balance and sourcing often required in a full story on a legally sensitive matter difficult to duplicate. Its a good idea to consult a supervisor before posting on a story that has gone through legal checks.

Be aware that if a Canadian Press story is the subject of a legal action, then any postings on social media connected with that story from CP staff can be expected to come under scrutiny by the plaintiff. Careless or inaccurate social media comments about such a story by CP staff could thus complicate CP's legal position. The same considerations brought to bear on a story that could bring legal action should be brought to bear on social media comment from CP staff on it. Remember: a tweet could itself be the basis for legal action. VISUALS: Photos and video should be treated like any other form of content we create when it comes to social media. The same rules apply. Visuals that move on our wire should not be posted on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or any other site as content unto itself. That is, directly posting a photo as a stand-alone entity is not allowed. It is perfectly fine to promote the use of our photos by providing links to where our visuals are used on client sites. But direct posting jeopardizes our copyright control over the images. Remember, once it is on social media, users are much more apt to re-post or modify the photo as they wish. Behind-the-scenes non-wire visuals can be an effective storytelling tool, and can live on sites like Instagram and YouTube or platforms like Twitpics or YFrog. They help build reputation, give you a personality and give readers a glimpse behind the curtain. These photos, except in rare circumstances (and with supervisor approval), should not find their way onto the wire. Our use of visuals we find on social media platforms needs to be very clear. We must apply the same rules to online visuals as we do any photo or video we source from someone other than a staffer or trusted freelancer. We must obtain written permission from the copyright owner. This is not necessarily the same person that posts it, or runs a website. They do not have permission to give us that content; only the copyright holder does. We occasionally use social media sites to find visuals of ongoing news events that are either difficult to get to or dont sync with our timelines. For instance, we may be en route to an event while a key moment occurs. We must obtain written permission from the photographer and, if necessary, come to monetary terms with them in writing before we can use any photo. Visuals from so-called tribute sites that are set up around some major stories may be a slightly different matter if such sites themselves become a subject of our news report, as they often do, since they feature public reaction to a news development and that reaction is often newsworthy. Some images in some such instances may -with proper credit to the tribute page and to the creator of the image (if known) -be defended as fair dealing; that is, because the site itself has become a subject of the news report we would argue in certain instances that some use can be made of the material there without permission of the copyright holder. However, there is plenty of grey in terms of when the relationship of the copyrighted material to the news report is such that it can successfully be defended as fair dealing. As such, always consult a supervisor or Main Desk in cases involving fair dealing. Main Desk can seek counsel's advice, as appropriate, in evaluating the circumstances of a specific situation in terms of fair dealing. There is not a lot of case law in Canada to go on.

Generally speaking, using visuals from any social media site is a last choice. The files are often too small and/or low-resolution for use anywhere but online. A rule of thumb is to look a photo on your screen and compare it to a blank piece of printer paper. This size comparison tells you how big the photo is versus what we would consider to be the absolute minimum size we need. A photo the size of a piece of paper at screen resolution is still 3-5 times smaller than the average file we send shot from a camera. So a photo that is only 1/10 the size of a piece of paper is in fact as small as 1/50 of the size we need for print use. If a call to action for user-generated images is deemed necessary, contact the Pictures Desk to initiate and manage that process.

3. PRECEDENCE
The speed and ease of digital publishing poses challenges for The Canadian Presss traditional workflows and client relationships. We have a paying subscriber base that expects news to flow over the channels they pay for the wire but that base is also using social media (Twitter in particular) as a parallel news service. With that duality in mind, use these guidelines when timing and precedence become issues: BREAKING NEWS IS BROKEN SIMULTANEOUSLY: When there is breaking news, the priority for staff -- reporters and editors -- is to get the news on both the wire and on social media at the same time, so it makes its way to the websites and newsrooms of clients of The Canadian Press. When simultaneous distribution isnt possible for technical or logistic reasons then tweeting breaking news first is allowed so we can meet client expectations. A minutes-long delay in breaking stories on any platform puts our credibility at risk. But always check with Main Desk Toronto or bureau managers to ensure we use accurate wording that should then be matched in the ensuing wire-based transmission. Once the story is broken, reporters and editors must focus on developing the news on the wire and any other immediately needed CP work, using social media to update as needed. Once CP content exists on a client site, further social media promotion should link to that content. Exceptions are made in the case of live tweeting (see below); in those cases, and where possible, the break in precedence is cleared with supervisors in advance. CP EXCLUSIVES HIT THE WIRE FIRST: Exclusives must be on the wire before they are the subject of social media posts and those posts should link to the exclusive CP item. PROVIDE LINKS TO THE BIGGER PICTURE: The Canadian Press prefers social media posts that link to its stories, which can give a fuller account of the news than can be provided through, say, tweets. When linking, bear in mind our content is carried by a wide variety of subscribers. Vary your link sources, rather than relying on only one or two. LIVE TWEETING: Pushing news out to Twitter before its pushed on the wire is acceptable in a live-tweeting situation, such as court proceedings, an evolving spotnews event or live sports or entertainment performance. All live-tweeting events should circumstances permitting be co-ordinated with the relevant supervisors, and the subsequent posts will be monitored by staff and can be used as source material for any wire notices that need to be distributed. Refer to the Twitter Principles document for more precise guidance.

4. YOU ARE THE CANADIAN PRESS

No matter what account or platform youre on, you can and will be tied to The Canadian Press. Thats not just a caution to mind your Ps and Qs, it will also help you connect with people to solicit and acquire information, and to tell stories. First, the cautionary notes: All staff should understand that any online pronouncements on an issue that could raise doubts about their own, or the companys, impartiality could have an impact on our reputation. It is not difficult for online postings by an individual to be linked back to the company. For example, if you wouldnt write something in a signed Letter to the Editor, you should not tweet it. Nor should staff post information about confidential operations or our business interests. Editorial employees who use networks for work purposes in any way must identify themselves as being from The Canadian Press. On the flipside, inserting statements like "retweets aren't endorsements" or "these opinions are my own, not my employer's" do not insulate you from being identified with CP. The company and the public make no such distinction. But as restrictive as the above rules may sound, realize that being identified with one of Canada's oldest and most trusted news organizations can and will open doors online. Social media offers the power to instantly connect with people around the world, and CP's esteemed reputation can help convince otherwise reluctant or hidden sources to come out. Journalists for NPR and Reuters used their organizations' reputations to connect with key sources to tell the stories of the Arab Spring and Sandy Hook, respectively. A WORD ABOUT PERSONAL OPINIONS: One of the most hotly debated issues in digital journalism today is what place opinion has in social media. There is a growing school of thought that says journalists should be free to post whatever they want, both in the interests of transparency and because nobody is truly objective. Promoted by NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen, among others, this view pits freedom of speech vs The View From Nowhere, Rosen's term for the veneer of objectivity. The Canadian Press, along with many other news organizations, maintains that objectivity is a hallmark of being professional, that the reporter or editor is not part of the story, and editorial staff's personal opinions on issues they cover -- or might one day cover -- must be kept off social media. There is nothing stopping us from providing context and analysis, but learning to walk the line between analysis and opinion helps define us as professionals and will separate The Canadian Press -- in a good way -- from the messy collection of personal opinions that infuses so much news coverage on social media platforms.

Your opinions outside the political realm have a bit more freedom, but not total. Commenting on pop culture or sports can be an effective way of connecting with an audience but trash-talking strays outside the boundaries of professionalism. It can also put CP and your colleagues in a bad light, if its a p otential source. And if the post is related to a subject being covered say a post about the NHL by a hockey writer consider how that would have an impact on CPs standard of impartiality. ITS ALL PUBLIC: Assume everything you do online will be shared with the world and impossible to delete. Even content on private accounts like Facebook or Flickr can be distributed everywhere instantly. Ask yourself if youre comfortable with people beyond your circle of friends seeing what youre posting.

5. BE A PERSON, NOT AN ACCOUNT

Despite all the cautions and caveats, remember social media is made of people. So treat others the way you want to be treated, and remember its OK to have some fun. It is perfectly acceptable to post about who you are and what makes you tick. Favourite sports teams, music, vacation spots, restaurants, drinks, all flesh out who you are. Use proper judgment in how far you take it because you can go too far (see the note on trash talking above). And for beat reporters, use common sense in how far you go commenting on beatrelated issues. Ask yourself if your post could hurt your ability to do your job down the road, or affect CPs image as fair and unbiased. For instance, two years ago a New York Times reporter wasn't happy with the way Toyota handled the media. She tweeted "Akio Toyoda took very few questions, ignored reporters incl me who tried to ask a follow-up. I'm sorry, but Toyota sucks." Everything but the last sentence was fine, good in fact, since it told a story about a corporate event. That's news. The reporter's opinion of Toyota as a company? Not news. That said, you should feel free to engage with your followers and friends on social media and use it as a platform to reach out to them, and to potential sources and contacts. You can ask questions, solicit information, forge new contacts, and have outright conversations about stories you're working on, often in real time. Be careful, though, about engaging "trolls" people online (often anonymous) who only seek to provoke who can become abusive of you and your work. Silence is usually the best response when a follower or reader steps over the line. You can block chronic problem posters from accounts like Twitter and Facebook, though it's best to check with a supervisor before taking such action.

6. WHEN IN DOUBT, ASK

Social media is an ever-evolving world and were all still figuring it out. When in doubt, ask a supervisor. The more brains, the better. If there is still doubt, leave it out. There will be a comprehensive training program for all editorial staff that will incorporate social media best practices as well as an introduction to digital journalism. Managers as well as front-line staff will participate, meaning supervisors will have the knowledge and skills to answer questions and make proper judgments. If a legal question arises or a legal opinion would be helpful, consult Main Desk, which can contact CP counsel as circumstances warrant.

APPENDIX A: FAQs
Q: Is it OK for me to tweet information we're not putting on the wire, or hinting at our newsgathering process during a public event? For instance, if I'm covering a Blue Jays game can I tweet about the manager's pre-game newser? Is it OK if we tweet something like "I just spoke with Celine Dion, she said some really interesting things about working in Las Vegas. Story to follow."? A: Yes, a strong yes. Doing so offers followers information nobody else may have and enhances your profile and CPs role as a complete news organization. It can also form independent story arcs and a dialogue with followers on social media. On top of that, the promotional strength of social media is considerable, so giving users a heads-up of whats to come is an excellent use of the medium. Q: Is tweeting directly at a subject acceptable? For example, "Here's my story on Jose Bautista's (@JoeyBats19) stellar season: www.somestory.com" A: Tweeting directly about a subject is fine, as in the example above. Tweeting at a subject may or may not be fine and should be governed by good news judgment. Ask yourself if directly contacting a story subject in a public forum crosses any lines. Most of the time theres no reason to do that publicly just drop them an email. Q: What's our policy on corporate or official hashtags? For example, we sometimes tag our Leafs stories with #TMLTalk or our Jays stories with #LoveThisTeam. Those are common hashtags used by those teams' fans, but they were created by the team's PR guys. A: Avoid using corporately mandated hash tags when theyre part of a marketing effort. It puts us too close to the line of promoters rather than storytellers. Hashtags are overused as is, and most users looking for news information would prefer smarter and more targeted wording. Q: Where do we draw the line on opinion vs analysis on social media? If, say, Dan Ralph is covering a Ticats game and he sees a dirty hit, can he criticize the player on social media? Can I point out that Tyler Bozak only scores ugly goals? A: Criticizing a hit or a bad play, or a bad movie or book, is fine as long as the criticism is evidence-based and stays in the realm of fact. That falls on the safer side of the analysis/opinion line. Saying you dont like the Harper government or the gay marriage movement is opinion. Remember CPs commitment to remaining unbiased. Would you write in your story what youre saying in your post? If not, dont post it. Err on the side of caution if in doubt and consult a supervisor.

Q: Is it acceptable to post photos and posts from events I attend in my offwork time? Can a sports reporter post pics as a fan at a Jays game? Can an entertainment writer send pics to Instagram from her favourite band's concert? A: Yes. Its part of who you are as a person and as long as it doesnt reflect badly on CP or reveal a bias that contravenes our impartiality stance, the more the better. Just like anything else you do on Twitter, tweeting photos can help build personality in your feed and give your followers a great inside look at your job. It is a great way to engage your people. Q: What about the two-way interaction on social media? Should reporters be answering questions from followers on Twitter? What about making interview requests on Twitter? A: One of social medias strengths is its ability to create conversations, to make newsgathering and storytelling a two-way process. So yes, answer questions and participate in conversations by all means, with the proviso that opinion and invective are left to those outside CP. Making interview requests and cultivating sources is a great use of Twitter and other social media and is becoming the norm. Be careful if the interaction becomes heated or you start engaging trolls. Dropping out of a conversation thats taken a nasty turn is perfectly acceptable. Q: Should non-photographers post photos on social media from news events? A: If youve shot something that is exclusive or newsworthy and you know that it is the only photo that is going to be available, the photo must be discussed with the Photo Desk before you post it. If we need to run it on the wire, then the rules about publishing wire photos on any social media come into play as discussed previously. Photos that move on the wire are not to be used as the sole content of a tweet, Instagram or Facebook post, or any other social media post. This is because photos can be easily taken and re-posted with no control by us and we then lose track of exclusivity and copyright. Links to published content are the preferred method to publicize our photos. Less exclusive visuals (establishing shots, scene-setters) can be posted to social media, but its still a good idea to check with the Pictures Desk. Q: What if my boss asks to be my friend on Facebook? What if I ask my boss to be my friend? For that matter, am I free to follow whoever I like on Twitter? A: Supervisors should not ask to be Facebook friends with staff who report to them. It creates an awkward situation where the person being asked may feel obligated to approve. Facebook is a much more private social media platform than most and its up to individuals to choose their Facebook friends. On the flipside, its perfectly acceptable for a staffer to ask their supervisor to friend them on Facebook the power relationship is reversed with the proviso that nobody is under any obligation to approve.

Following someone on Twitter is a slightly different beast; no approval is normally required for following, and all CP employees are encouraged to follow both official and personal accounts of their colleagues. Following sources and contacts on Twitter is a powerful way to stay connected. One note: who you follow can help form a pattern; if youre a political reporter and are only following NDP, that may raise questions about your impartiality. Be prepared to defend your follower profile. Friending people we cover on Facebook could be problematic if the Facebook page is a personal page and not a fan page. As with Twitter, be aware how others outside CP might view your Friends list. The same caution should exist when it comes to making comments on their Facebook accounts. Q: Will my supervisor be watching me on all social media platforms? A: The Canadian Press has deep respect for the professionalism of its employees. As these guidelines suggest, supervisors expect their staff to comport themselves as appropriate ambassadors of CPs reputation for fair and accurate journalism. But be aware that your actions on social media shouldnt be considered private. If youre doing something on social media you dont want your supervisor to see, or think is crossing professional lines, its a safe bet the supervisor will find out eventually. Remember, consider everything you do on social media to be public.

APPENDIX B: TWITTER PRINCIPLES

Universal principles:
The top priority for The Canadian Press under all circumstances is its paying clients. We aim to get the news out as quickly as possible on all platforms. Standard CP legal/ethical/accuracy cautions always apply: Tweet/live tweet ASAP but dont let it interfere with getting the news out to our clients.

Identity:
To maintain a healthy level of transparency, editorial staffers should identify themselves as employees of Canadian Press in their Twitter bios. Any potential exceptions should be discussed with supervisors. Reporters Twitter handles will be added at the bottom of our stories, effective July 1, 2013. This helps foster a two-way relationship with our readers and improves our social media profile.

Non-exclusive News:
Official CP Twitter accounts: Tweeting/live-tweeting is OK in situations where the info can be readily made public by others (ie: news releases, news conferences, live-televised events, court cases etc). Tweet ASAP or as deemed necessary. Reporters Twitter accounts: Tweeting/live-tweeting is OK in situations where the info can be readily made public by others (ie: news releases, news conferences, live-televised events, court cases etc). Tweet ASAP or as deemed necessary.

Breaking News:
Official CP Twitter accounts: Get NewsAlert out. Tweet at the same time or ASAP (unless NewsAlert delayed for non-legal reasons, then tweet can move first). Reporters Twitter accounts: Send info to/alert desk to development for prepping/sending NewsAlert, then Tweet (dont wait for NewsAlert/urgent to move unless there are legal or ethical concerns). Contacting the desk is essential to work out timing, details and content of breaking-news tweets.

Exclusives:
Exclusives must be on the wire before they are the subject of social-media posts (teasers OK ie: CP exclusive on former senator Mike Scruffy coming shortly).