It’s tough being a reporter these days. Instead of writing a story for tomorrow’s paper or next month’s magazine, news reporting is expected to be instant. You really need to beat your competition by getting the news on Twitter, Facebook, and on your website first.

I think I would love the competition in the news world to be first – and correct – and beat the crap out of the competition!

Having tools like Twitter and Facebook can also present other problems. I am sure many news organizations have rules in place for their staff when it comes to what they should or should not say on the company Twitter or Facebook page. They may have rules in place if they are using their personal Twitter account for their professional work.

Using their personal Twitter account for their professional work is where it gets interesting – and fun. Some reporters may put “Views are my own” or “Retweets do not equal endorsements” on their Twitter bio page to let readers know that if they have a few too many cocktails and Tweet drunk, or if they are just so ticked off at someone and forget the rules, they are not really responsible.

Late last week, right-wing radio host Aaron Flint posted a story on his Voices of Montana radio program blog about a reporter for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle (Laura Lundquist) Tweeting about Congressman Steve Daines’ vote on the budget bill. Lundquist supposedly called Daines a “Tea Party moron” on her personal Twitter page because he voted against the budget bill.

By the way, Flint disclosed on his radio show several months ago that his wife works for Congressman Steve Daines, so one might expect him to protect the home team.

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