Journalists these days seem to have a love/hate relationship with social media, according to a survey of journalists by ad agency giant Ogilvy. 
Increasingly, journalists rely on social media to spot trends, track public attitudes and source information and background. But they also acknowledge the big challenge that comes along with social media -- the accuracy and credibility of what they find online.
The journalists surveyed -- some 255 of them -- cite Facebook as the leading news gatekeeper. At 39 percent, Facebook edges out "traditional" media sources, which they scored at 32 percent. Other digital platforms scored much lower. Google was cited by 15 percent and Twitter by 4 percent.
Journalists also cited social media as the primary cause of the rise of "fake news." Other reasons given included increasingly polarizing media coverage and what they called "confirmation bias," where readers pick and recirculate stories that tend to echo or support their personal bias or political leanings. It's also been called the "echo chamber effect."
The challenge that most of the journalists saw as impacting their work is the need to do comprehensive fact-checking, rely only on credible sources and maintain transparency in the reporting process. These steps, they believe, will be the best way to fight the continuing charges of "fake news."
They also are basic tenets of good journalism.
