1. Governing Outside of the blogosphere

3. Who am I….why am I here?

6. Is Social Media… “Media”

7. Traditional Media

8. Journalism Defined / Standards
Traditional Media
Journalism Defined / Standards
Journalism is the activity of gathering, assessing, creating, and presenting news and information. It is also the product of these activities. American Press Institute.
Society of Professional Journalists
Seek Truth and Report it
Accuracy
Seek out subjects to respond to allegations
Identify sources
Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting
Minimize Harm
Act Independently
Be Accountable

9. WHERE DO PEOPLE GET THEIR NEWS?

10. Social Media Crossover When Social Media Gets Traditional Media Attention

12. “Undrinkable”

14. POLITICAL ADVOCATE / OPPONENT WATCHDOG ORGANIZATION
What is my response?
THE VERY ANGRY PERSON
CONCERNED CITIZEN
POLITICAL ADVOCATE / OPPONENT
WATCHDOG ORGANIZATION

15. What is my response? Key concepts General Guidelines
Know what/who you are responding to
You can control your response…not the post
You can respond publicly, privately, or not at all
Consider and determine the audience
Balance escalation with the need to provide additional information or “your side of the story”
General Guidelines
Respond in moderation
Do not respond immediately
Review and carefully consider your response before hitting the send button
Stay on the issues, not the personalities

16. Argument Exercise

17. Newspaper Anonymous Comments

18. Don’t Let FOIA or OMA Trip You Up
Freedom of Information Act
FOIA is designed to be a quick and easy method for citizens individuals to get documents from public bodies.
Ensure your community has strong policies to timely respond to and track requests.
How many requests are too many?
What if a request is unduly burdensome?
How do we handle and avoid requests for review?
Open Meetings Act

19. Public Comment

20. Public Comment Adopt public comment rules
Adopt reasonable time limits for public comment
Do not discriminate

21. Lessons Learned

22. Defamation

23. Defamation Defamation Claim And for public officials…
Defendant made a false statement about the Plaintiff;
Defendant made an unprivileged publication of that statement to a third party; and
The publication caused damages.
And for public officials…
The statement was made with actual malice.

24. Defamation (The “Anonymous” Defamer)

25. Defamation (The “Anonymous” Defamer)

26. Defamation Citizen Participation Act

27. Defamation

28. Man in the Arena
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if
he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall
never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know
victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt, Citizenship in a Republic

29. Questions
Jeffrey R. Jurgens Gregory E. Moredock Gabriel H. Neibergall Sorling Northrup Phone: (217)