Mandy Jenkins TBD.com

Mandy Jenkins, Social Media Editor of TBD.com, joined our class today for a lecture on types of social media and the impact they have had on various aspects of journalism.

TBD.com is a local news website that focuses on the DC Metro Area. It even features things like RSS Feeds, Twitter and Facebook to connect more users individually and to the TBD network.

Jenkins explained that local news covers a specific area, while hyperlocal news focuses tightly on a specific area of a community. Patch is a great example of a hyperlocal news outlet, which covers more than 600 communities nation-wide.

When asked about publishing news stories that highlight horrific encounters to gain a broad public audience, such as the recent YouTube video post of a man beaten by teenagers on the Metro, Jenkins replied, “It’s journalism. Sometimes you have to give attention to the bad guys.”

Jenkins also provided a list of helpful social media related websites to use: