NY Times Wants Reports To Hit 'Reset' On Twitter Use

New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet sent a memo to its journalists yesterday about what he called a "reset" in its stance on Twitter, emphasizing that having a presence on it or on other social media is, quote, "purely optional for Times journalists," and encouraging those who do use Twitter to "meaningfully reduce" their time on the platform. 

In the memo obtained by other news organizations, Baquet wrote, "We can rely too much on Twitter as a reporting or feedback tool -- which is especially harmful to our journalism when our feeds become echo chambers." 

Mediaite notes there have been concerns both internally at the Times and from outside the organziation that it had become too reactive to Twitter. Baquet also said that "off-the-cuff" tweets can, quote, "damage our journalistic reputations," and called out subtweets of other colleagues, which is a way of attacking them. 

He wrote, "[T]weets or subtweets that attack, criticize or undermine the work of your colleagues are not allowed. Doing so undercuts the reputation of The Times as well as our efforts to foster a culture of inclusion and trust." 

He also announced a new initiative to support journalists who are threatened or harassed online.