CCMA Entry: Best Social Media Reporting

Early on Monday, Sept. 16, the district sent out alerts that Santa Ana College was closed until further notice for a homicide investigation. By 6:30 a.m., student reporters were posting the notice on social media, retweeting official police accounts and sharing verified info from other news outlets while they worked to contact authorities. By 8:30 a.m. an el Don reporter and photographer were on scene, capturing images and quotes from students who did not receive the alert and came to school despite the campus being closed. Social Media Editors posted videos from the scene on Instagram Stories and in a developing Twitter thread, resulting in a 30 times increase in engagement with hundreds of views and dozens of shares. By 9 a.m. a news article was posted on the website and the link shared to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, again to hundreds of link clicks and shares. The school’s official social media accounts was not posting updates, so el Don became the main source of information on this incident for the public. Afterward, we used social media storytelling to show people step by step how they can make sure they are receiving alerts so that no one comes to campus during a potentially dangerous situation again. On the day of the breaking news, we had triple the amount of accounts reached and 100 times the amount of average engagement as we do with most of our posts. We gained more than 50 followers.

Social media posts from el Don’s breaking news coverage (from Twitter, Instagram and Facebook) are presented in chronological order:

This morning’s email from Campus Safety and Security: pic.twitter.com/1H6HLwLJbN
— el Don News (@eldonnews) September 16, 2019

Car jumped retaining wall near Lot 6 about 1am, man inside pronounced dead of gunshot wound.

Campus will remain closed until scene is cleared. ⛔️ pic.twitter.com/LIoCnyomKP
— el Don News (@eldonnews) September 16, 2019

What we know so far about the fatal shooting and car crash that canceled classes this morning.

📸: @AshleyRamynke https://t.co/v2ohkjypHV
— el Don News (@eldonnews) September 16, 2019

Below: Video compilation of Instagram Stories from throughout the day and from follow-up coverage.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2ecMefHkN8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2fU1MGHYqV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Just received confirmation that campus is now safe and will reopen at 5pm today.

*Night classes are NOT canceled.* pic.twitter.com/izuNgzRDwU
— el Don News (@eldonnews) September 16, 2019

In addition to official posts, el Don social media editors informed the public by responding to questions received via Direct Message and posted on the official Santa Ana College Twitter account.

Our reporters are on campus, which is still closed. Car is gone but there is still police presence. Follow @eldonnews on IG and Twitter for the latest.
— el Don Newspaper (@eldonnews) September 16, 2019

Just received confirmation that campus will reopen at 5pm and night classes are NOT canceled. pic.twitter.com/vNtGWz9c9k
— el Don Newspaper (@eldonnews) September 16, 2019

Below: Social media posts for follow-up/enterprise reporting on the effectiveness of the emergency alert system. Social Media Editors created a custom step-by-step for students and posted it to each platform.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3DvdetH74u/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

When the campus was closed due to homicide investigation, more than 32,000 people were sent alerts through the district’s emergency notification system but not everyone received them. District officials are urging people to check their info on WebAdvisor.https://t.co/XzvuW6Mfkg
— el Don News (@eldonnews) October 1, 2019

Wanna receive Rave Alerts through text message? Follow these steps:

🔹️1.

Log in to WebAdvisor and click "Change contact information". pic.twitter.com/ZWuxQm1SDf
— el Don Newspaper (@eldonnews) October 1, 2019

🔹️3. Any number listed as "Cell" in Web Advisor will be automatically enrolled in Rave Alerts.
Make sure to choose Cell Phone, not Home Phone. Messages won't go through the Home Phone option. pic.twitter.com/3rroL80Otx
— el Don Newspaper (@eldonnews) October 1, 2019

If you want to opt into RAVE Alerts via text message without going through WebAdvisor:

Text "DonsAlerts" for SAC.
Text "HawksAlerts" for SCC.
Send it to any of those codes: 226787, 67283, 78015, 81437, 22911. pic.twitter.com/qkFHZhoepb
— el Don Newspaper (@eldonnews) October 1, 2019