New York Times reporter to discuss social media and journalism at Flagler Forum series

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Jennifer Preston

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL (09/24/2014)(readMedia)-- As the first social media editor of The New York Times, Jennifer Preston was given the task of identifying the role of social media in journalism. She'll discuss the subject at the Flagler College Forum on Government and Public Policy series on Oct. 7.

Preston, who served as the paper's social media editor from 2009 to 2011, now works as a reporter and editor for the Times, and continues to be an evangelist for using social media tools for reporting, real-time publishing and engagement inside and outside the Times newsroom.

"A lot of journalists focus on using these tools to build their brands. That is important, of course," said Preston. "But it is also important that we keep the focus on how we can use these tools for journalism."

After returning to reporting in 2011, Preston focused on the impact of social media in politics, government, business and real life. She is also the writer of The Lede, a New York Times blog combining original reporting with curated news video, user-generated content from social platforms and old-fashioned blogging.

Before joining the Times as a political reporter in 1995, Preston was a deputy metropolitan editor and circulation-marketing manager at New York Newsday, the former city edition of Newsday. Preston is also the author of "Queen Bess," a biography of Bess Myerson, which grew out of her reporting on the municipal corruption scandal in the late 1980's in New York.

For more than 30 years, the Flagler College Forum on Government and Public Policy has invited nationally-recognized journalists and commentators to St. Augustine to discuss issues of importance in regional, state and federal government.

All forums take place at Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College, 14 Granada St., at 7 p.m. Forums are free and open to the public thanks to the generosity of speakers who donate their time in support of the series. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign language interpreters are provided. Call (904) 819-6400 for more information.

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Flagler College is a private, four-year comprehensive college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 29 majors, 34 minors and two pre-professional programs - the largest being business administration, communication, psychology and education. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, as well as a satellite campus at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly feature Flagler as a college that offers quality education at a relatively low cost. A Flagler education is less than half the cost of similar private colleges, and competitive with many state universities. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for its historic beauty. The centerpiece of the campus is the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, a grand resort built in 1888 by Henry M. Flagler, an industrialist, railroad pioneer and co-founder of Standard Oil. The Ponce has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. For more on Flagler College, visit www.flagler.edu.