Q & A: Edmonton’s CityNews journalist opens up about using social media

Journalists increasingly rely on social media to gather information, engage with audiences and promote their work. Edmonton’s CityNews journalist, Sean Amato, who has been in the industry for over 14 years, is one of the many who consistently contributes and engages with his audience through social media. Amato opens up about how social media has shaped his work, the challenges he faces and the evolving role of digital platforms in modern journalism.

Q: How do you use social media personally and professionally?

A: “I just use X for work and have a Facebook for my personal life. But that’s all that I have. I don’t have Instagram. I don’t have TikTok. I don’t have any of that stuff. I find that X is good for professional use. I’ve learned a lot of stuff for work on X, staying informed of things going on and connecting with many people. Sometimes, I don’t get news releases as quickly as I see things on X. So, X is a valuable tool.”

Q: Do you face many challenges when using social media?

A: “Oh, so many. I recently posted something asking people to call the Edmonton Elks their new name, not the former one. And the amount of hate the post received, I ended up blocking about 40 people who just came with complete nastiness or full-out racism. I shut down my comments, but I rarely do that. 

I don’t mind if people disagree with me. I learn not to argue with people on social media. So, I don’t have a problem engaging with people coming in good faith. But for anybody who just comes with nastiness, it’s easy to block them and say goodbye because so many of those accounts are anonymous anyway.”

Q: What are some of the benefits that you get to experience through using social media professionally?

A: “Well, some people know me from X and don’t even watch me on TV. It’s expanded my audience. They’ve seen my tweets fairly often. I’ll be walking around and somebody will say, ‘Hey, I’ve seen you on X,’ or maybe it’s somebody that I know and they’ll say, ‘ I saw your tweet on that the other day, I appreciated it,’ or ‘I disagreed with you.’ It’s expanded my world of communication.”

Q: How do you decide which stories are content to share on your social media? 

A: “I try to do it about a story I’m working on. A story that people can catch later on TV or when I post my story at the end of the day, or if it’s something that I can add context to if I have specific information about it.

I could probably have more followers if I just tweeted everything all the time, but I believe less is more. I want people to like and see 2 or 3 good tweets a day instead of 20 that they just fill up somebody’s account.”

Q: how do you balance the demands of maintaining a professional presence on social media?

A: “I’m a journalist first. When I’m on X, I’m not posting selfies. If I wanted to do that, I would probably do it on LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook. I do feel like journalists have to be leaders in our community at times. I don’t often share personal opinions unless it’s something that I feel is important or something I can add to the conversation.”

Q: How do you keep an unbiased front when using your personal account professionally?

A: “My strategy every single day is tough but fair. I always try to see where other people are coming from or the benefits of their arguments, even if I disagree with them. And I think that’s important for journalists in general but also important to remember when posting anything.“

Q: do you have any advice for young journalists on using social media?

A: “I think doing only what you’re comfortable with. I know a lot of reporters who just say it’s not worth it. It’s not worth the risk of getting in trouble for posting something, or for getting something wrong, or putting up with the abuse.

I think it’s important to have a professional account, whether you’re just posting your vetted stories at the end of the day. It’s important to keep an eye on what’s going on. But essentially, think before you post, think about what the criticisms could be and just go at your own pace.”

Amato posts daily on X, updating his followers on his most recent stories and breaking news.

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