Van Dijk (1991) argues that it is from news that the majority of people obtain most of their social and political knowledge. Therefore, it should concern us that current research evidence suggests that the discourse of public relations is growing in influence over the discourse of journalism to an extent that journalists are relinquishing their agenda-setting function (Davies, 2008; Moloney, 2006). Using the concepts of intertextuality and genre, the form and content of examples of public relations material and the news stories which resulted from them are discussed. Erjavec’s (2005) method of comparative analysis is employed to examine the texts as well as discuss the discourse processes. Fairclough’s (1995) argument that texts are a set of options is used to show that the options journalists are choosing are not necessarily based on the accepted rules of news values (Galtung and Ruge, 1965).

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This paper explores the impact of social media upon journalism education from two perspectives: both from the pedagogical changes Web 2.0 and mobile devices enable, and within the context of the changes in journalism that social media use are driving. A participatory action research approach was adopted, beginning with the establishment of a lecturer community of practice focusing upon exploring pedagogical change enabled by mobile social media while allowing the project to develop within a series of reflective interventions within the course. These interventions included the use of Twitter, blogging, QR Codes, and Facebook as part of authentic scenarios throughout the course. Drawing on this experience, the paper presents an emergent framework for a response to social media within journalism education, illustrating the positive impact of integrating the use of mobile social media on student engagement, collaboration and contextualising theory within authentic learning environments.

Journalists can obtain information faster than ever before and interact with a variety of sources across multiple platforms from Facebook to Twitter without leaving their desk. The pressure to get stories online as soon as possible is not without its drawbacks, however. Incorrect information and photographs can be published even when not properly verified and, although these mistakes can be rectified quickly once identified, the credibility of a news organisation is at risk. Our research was prompted by the chance capture of a photograph published in a daily newspaper that mistakenly identified a New Zealand-born Israeli soldier who was shot dead during a firefight in Gaza in 2014 as an American actor. This presented an opportunity to investigate and understand the challenges journalists face in sourcing information in the digital age. Our research takes a two-pronged approach. First, we establish what went wrong in the newsroom that led to this case of mistaken identity drawing public criticism and ridicule, and second, we analyse the editor’s apology to highlight the news organisation’s efforts to restore its image and regain the trust of its readers in the professionalism of its journalism.