If I’ve learned anything (and I hope that I have) from reading blogs, goofing around on Twitter and attending the Social Media Breakfast – Tech Valley events, it’s that social media can be a rocket launcher for businesses, organizations and individuals. However, while social media can definitely be a useful tool for a reporter, the implications of a social media presence for journalists and news organizations are still not entirely clear. The release of the Social Media and Blogging Guidelines today by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) is an effort to help those in the news media protect themselves against some of the pitfalls of social media. The guidelines focus on fairness, privacy and transparency and stress that when it comes to social media, nothing is private and journalists aren’t allowed to express personal opinions online — unless they want to open themselves up to complaints and...

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