Q&A: RTA alumni and Taproot reporter shares how she uses social media
By Celestia Nlemvo on March 19, 2025
Stephanie Swensrude, a Taproot reporter, is an Edmonton-based journalist. She completed NAIT’s Radio and Television program in 2021. Since graduating, she has worked for CBC, CFJC in Kamloops and 630 CHED. Swensrude is passionate about municipal politics, transportation and urban development. She was the news chief for the NAIT student newspaper, The Nugget, which fueled her passion for features and analytical pieces.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: Which social media platform do you primarily use? Why have you chosen those specific platforms?
A: “If we’re talking just generally across my life, I use Instagram the most because that’s a major way that I connect with friends, make plans and group chats. If we’re talking more professionally, it used to be Twitter, but I deleted it about a month and a half ago. Now I use LinkedIn because that is the best way to generate story ideas, especially for the type of reporting I do.”
Q: How has your usage of Instagram changed over the years?
A: “Well, I just use it more to contact old and new friends. Its algorithm heavily influences Instagram, and that can be addicting. I’m not acting like I’m above scrolling on reels, but I try to stay away from that as it’s very brain-numbingly stupid. That’s why I try to use it on my desktop so I can avoid seeing that stuff.”
Q: How do you balance sharing your work versus sharing the work of others?
A: “For Instagram and Facebook, the content posted will be completely personal as it’s hard to post news on either of them, but I will post my achievements here and there from other areas of my life. Work-wise, LinkedIn and Blue Sky are 100 per cent the way to go.”
Q: How do you adapt your journalist style for different social media platforms?
A: “So my first tweet or Blue Sky post would be the lead of the story. Often, I would put in a little bit more of my voice that you can’t use in regular journalism. I found when doing this it added a sense of opinion to my stories and further helped readers get to know me and engage in my interests.”
Q: Has social media ever impacted your ability to gather news and find sources?
A: “I think that I have a pretty good eye for that, but you do have to be careful. Make sure every video and picture you see is real and happened when it happened, if it was that day like the caption says. People tend to place two different scenarios and paint them as one narrative. As the media, if we don’t have the necessary facts, it can damage the careers of you and your publication.”
Q: Have you experienced online harassment or toxicity while using social media? If so, how have you dealt with it?
A: “I’ve been pretty lucky thus far in my career that I haven’t dealt with harassment through social media because I don’t use it much. Which is another big con of using social media: the trolls can come and get you.”
Q: How transparent do you feel journalists should be about their personal views on social media?
A: “This is another problem with social media; it opens the door for you to share your opinion. As a journalist, there’s not usually a reason for you to do so because it’s irrelevant. People read stories to be informed about what’s happening in their community, not someone with a clear bias towards an issue that has nothing to do with them.”
Q: As a journalist, would you recommend young journalists to use social media to build their platform?
A: “Well, it’s important to look at the pros and cons of what social media gives you. When I started at NAIT five years ago, I made a Twitter account as they said it was such a good way to promote your stories, find stories, talk to people and find sources. That’s not true anymore. Apps such as Instagram are purely meant for entertainment, whereas, on the other hand, LinkedIn can help you grow a very professional and social network.”
For a deep-dive into Stephanie Swensrude’s career, you can find her actively curating and reporting stories for Taproot Edmonton. Connect with her via LinkedIn for any questions.