ESPN’s new policies regarding social media
Ric Bucher mentioned on Twitter today that ESPN is inserting the company between their employees and any social networking sites. The details of the new policies have since come out, and they’re depressing. Here’s a few examples:The first and only priority is to serve ESPN sanctioned efforts, including sports news, information and content
On the surface, this seems to suggest that SportsCenter anchors can’t mention what they had for lunch, that they just went for a run, or link to fun articles they’ve read, some of the (supposedly) primary purposes of Twitter, because such posts don’t serve ESPN.
If you wouldn’t say it on the air or write it in your column, don’t tweet it
Considering that ESPN falls under the Disney umbrella, this is a pretty strict standard, and limits a ton of topics for discussion.
Avoid discussing internal policies or detailing how a story or feature was reported, written, edited or produced and discussing stories or features in progress, those that haven’t been posted or produced, interviews you’ve conducted, or any future coverage plans
One of the main reasons I follow the handful of celebrities that I do is to get a “behind the scenes” look at their lives. Here that goes right out the window.
Steer clear of engaging in dialogue that defends your work against those who challenge it and do not engage in media criticism or disparage colleagues or competitors
People in the media tend to have some of the most interesting, well-informed opinions on other media members, and what little bit they’ve come out so far on Twitter has been tantalizing. It’s a shame that that party is ending.
Damn ESPN for doing this. They say they’ve got technology that will be ready this fall that will directly link ESPN’s site to the personalities’ pages. I don’t see how that’s a consolation. What’s really concerning is if other companies, not even necessarily in the media industry, intend to take a similar approach.3 notes
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