ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the use of Twitter by UK local newspaper journalists and how the adoption of the platform is changing journalistic practices. It focuses on research projects conducted at three daily newspapers: Bournemouth’s Daily Echo, the Leicester Mercury and The Star in Sheffield from 2011 to 2014. The study involved interviews with 37 reporters and senior editorial staff together with content analysis of 43 Twitter accounts. During the research timeframe Twitter use dramatically increased amongst UK local journalists, leading to a clearer set of emerging practices. The data suggests that the types of Twitter use are diverse but routine practices are forming in the areas of news gathering, live reporting, audience engagement and promotion. The chapter observes how senior editorial staff tend to use Twitter as a promotional tool whilst individual journalists have developed a personal brand on the platform to interact and engage with their audience outside of their legacy media employer. Furthermore, journalistic norms of objectivity are being challenged as technology changes the way in which local journalists communicate, leading to a blurring of boundaries between the professional and the personal.
