Sky News tells reporters not to retweet outsiders or anything off their beat

Guardian
Josh Halliday reports that British broadcaster Sky News has issued extremely restrictive new social media guidelines, “including a contentious ban on retweeting rival ‘journalists or people on Twitter.’ ” An email to staff warned that “such information could be wrong and has not been through the Sky News editorial process.” It also told journalists to tweet only about stories “to which you have been assigned or a beat which you work.” Some Twitter users are criticizing the policy by using the hashtag #savefieldproducer, a nod to Sky News digital editor Neal Mann, who tweets as @fieldproducer. Presumably no Sky News journalists will be retweeting the criticism. || Related: “It makes no sense for Sky News to pay journalists to break stories through another medium.” (Fleet Street Blues) || Earlier: AP says no opinions in retweets (Poynter) | BBC wants a “second pair of eyes” on social media posts (Poynter)