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Editor’s note: This is the second part of my blog about Washington Post sports columnist sending out a tweet containing false information about Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. To read part one, click here.

Social media is here to stay, get use to it

Mike Wise said he sent out the tweet about the false Ben Roethlisberger information because he wanted to prove how bloggers lacked credibility. He also said that he didn’t realized that his association with the Washington Post would follow him to Twitter.

I found that incredibly naïve, especially considering in his Twitter profile Wise mentions that he is a Washington Post sports columnist. Of course, people are going to associate him with the Washington Post!

I used to have my former newspaper listed in my Twitter profile. However, I ended up removing it because I wanted to avoid people associating me with my paper. This was almost two years ago. This should not be new information to Wise.  In fact, the Washington Post made headlines almost a year ago when they came out with their social media policy. Paidcontent.org posted the Washington Post social media policy, and a couple of passages stand out:

When using social networking tools for reporting or for our personal lives, we must remember that Washington Post journalists are always Washington Post journalists.

All Washington Post journalists relinquish some of the personal privileges of private citizens.  Post journalists must recognize that any content associated with them in an online social network is, for practical purposes, the equivalent of what appears beneath their bylines in the newspaper or on our website.

As a journalist, you are told that you always represent your organization. In fact, journalists are taught not to show any bias towards any political parties. Newsroom employees are usually not allowed to have political bumper stickers on their cars or put up election signs in their yards.

Destroyed his credibility

In the CNN interview, Wise says he destroyed some of his own credibility. I say he destroyed all of his credibility. If Wise sent out a tweet about breaking news again, why in the world would I ever believe him? In this day in age, the one thing that traditional media has over bloggers is their credibility. Right now I would give profootballtalk.com (one of the blogs Wise was trying to discredit) more credibility than I would for a man who works for the Washington Post.

Wise’s punishment

The Washington Post suspended Wise one month for the Twitter incident. According to the Washington Post’s ombudsman, Andrew Alexander, the newsroom was divided on Wise’s punishment. Some thought it was too harsh, while others felt he should be fired. Alexander wrote this:

For journalists operating in today’s multimedia world, there’s no excuse for a lack of awareness about the risks and responsibilities of social media. It’s a topic of endless discussion in the industry and at The Post. The fact that Wise’s “experiment” was somewhat premeditated only underscores his bad judgment.

But at its core, what Wise did isn’t about social media. It’s about fabrication, which is indefensible, even if done in jest. Our business is truth. A journalist’s falsehood on Twitter is the same as a falsehood in the paper.

I’m going to say it. I think Mike Wise should have been fired.

This wasn’t a case of Wise reporting information he gotten from a source that turned out to be false. He deliberately tweeted out this false information. Like I said yesterday, the cardinal sin in journalism is knowingly reporting false information. I don’t know any journalist that would have thought tweeting false information was a good idea. In fact, most would have been appalled if you had brought up the subject with them.

I know some people might be thinking that I’m too harsh, but I have seen too many great reporters that were laid off, forced into retirement or just left the industry that would have never done this. It really makes me upset that Wise gets to keep his job, while these fine journalist are out of work.