Brian Stetler Report

PROVO - Utah “The fact that we can all be publishers is what powers social-media” seemed to be the theme of the conference held Wednesday, by Brian Stetler, a New York Times reporter, at the Harold B. Lee Library auditorium.

            The social-media themed discussion comprised of a 30 minute presentation by Stetler about the strengths and weaknesses of social media in the news, and an open forum at the end where students asked questions.

            Among the strengths, Stetler mentioned the fact that hearing the voice of the people in such an up-to-date fashion was extremely useful for political representatives to be able to understand what the people want.  In cases like Syria’s official twitter page, it can be used to spread propaganda fairly quickly.

            Stetler said that one of the great positives of the eruption of social media is that “When misinformation spreads, the web spreads the correct truth very quickly.”  He also said that it can be very useful to take breaks from social media, as he once asked his girlfriend to lock his twitter and not let him get back on until he was finished working on a story. 

            The biggest takeaway was that social media has changed the fundamental structure of journalism because it has put a lot of the power in the people.  Everyone has something to say now, and politicians have never been so accessible.

            The students had more questions than time allowed, and Stetler asked them to speak with him after class, suggesting his message resonated within the young communications majors at BYU.