Social News

This book is the first to define and describe ‘social news’, a new kind of journalism emerging in response to social media. Drawing on the author’s extensive research into news and social media platforms,  Social News  critically examines the rise of well-known outlets such as  BuzzFeed  and  Mic  in the US, and  Junkee  and  Pedestrian  in Australia. Hurcombe argues that these outlets became successful by strategically engaging with social media, producing sociable content personalised for millennials. Such outlets have been criticised for violating the rules of ‘quality’ journalism. However, this book shows how social news has provided a platform for marginalised voices and has been able to engage readers neglected by legacy news. While social media is frequently seen as a threat to the news industry,  Social News  shows that digital platforms have been driving new forms of journalism: ones thatchallenge our understanding of what journalism is, can be, and should be.