Emerging Reporters in a Nascent Democracy: How Tunisian Pre-Professional Journalists Perceive and Use Social Media in Their Work

Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution facilitated the development of the nation’s first press freedoms. The success of the 2011 revolution is often attributed to social media, which played an influential role as a means of catalyzing resistance and communicating atrocities. However, social media was also used as a tool of disinformation. This study assessed how future journalists who had not worked in the field prior to the establishment of tentative press freedoms used social media in their reporting. This examination of Tunisian journalism students’ uses, values, and role perceptions regarding social media during a key period of post-revolution democracy building may serve as a barometer for the future of the field. Results demonstrate respondents primarily use social media to track breaking news, keep in touch with audiences, and find information. These uses most strongly correlate with the monitorial role, which is most closely associated with established democracies. Overall, respondents indicated the impacts of social media on their individual work were favorable.