Twitter reacts to changes in Sky News' social media guidelines

On Tuesday, the Guardian broke the story that broadcast news organization Sky News had sent out new social media guidelines to its staff. Most notably, the new rules told employees not to retweet information from other Twitter users who are not employed by Sky News.

  1. The Guardian story by Josh Halliday. 
  2. Before the Guardian story was posted, rumors swirled on Twitter. The lone voice answering these questions was Halliday. 
  3. Sky News email to staff: "Do not re-tweet information posted by other journalists or people on Twitter"
  4. Sky News email to staff: "Absolutely do not Tweet stories or developments in stories before first putting them through news-desk"
  5. .@gabyhinsliff No specific legal reasons mentioned, just occasions where diff info has been run by Sky on diff platforms #skynews
  6. I'm told #SkyNews have stopped their journos retweeting information/tweets from journalists or people not working for Sky. Must be wrong??
  7. Re #skynews and retweets - I'm told an email went round this pm. Story as I said. Alot of disquiet amongst the v good sky tweeters.
  8. Story about #SkyNews ban on staff retweeting other ppl has been on Twitter for over 30 mins without reply. Must be true. Weird.
  9. @jonhew @JoshHalliday That would be really the most stupid thing I EVER heard as a social media strategy... #Skynews
  10. @amyllawson Thanks Amy. If the claims about @SkyNews are true, it's very strange don't you think? #skynewstweets #skynews
  11. Anyone know if the actual text of the #skynews Twitter ban email has been published? #skynewstweets
  12. Once the story was confirmed, reactions in the Twitterverse loudly expressed unhappiness and disbelief with the news. 
  13. A person with direct knowledge of the new social media guidelines at Sky News has confirmed to me that the email in the Guardian is legit.
  14. Sky News' Twitter rules for its journalists are like woah bit.ly/wwPp7E Very anti-social social media rules
  15. @journodave Sky News did incredible work during the Arab Spring, especially through Twitter. That's why this makes little sense.
  16. Unfortunate that Sky News has taken such a narrow, old school view on social media: bit.ly/zZi0nj
  17. UK journalists expressing outrage on Twitter at the moment after #skynews staff told they can't retweet posts from non-Sky staff.
  18. I thought they were joking, but Sky News actually told reporters not to retweet outside sources or anything off-topic soup.ps/ABPuAJ
  19. New #skynews social media rules interesting. Staff often tweet stories which are relevant for our stations but don't make the channel or IRN
  20. @fieldproducer I hope you have explained to you superiors that banning RTs is a bloody stupid idea
  21. This #SkyNews social media stuff is totally off the wall. Nothing like chaining up vibrant new media with archaic regulations. #FreeNeal

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Elana Zak

Social media producer The Wall Street Journal. Hungry to make an impact in social media.

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