Political peril written in 140 characters
More elected officials are using Twitter – but not always judiciously
OTTAWA – It took 136 characters to land Tony Clement in a Twitter quandary this week.
Clement added fuel to an already burning fire by criticizing a journalist’s decision to move to Cuba so his wife could run a Canadian aid group there.
That journalist – Stephen Wicary – shot back, arguing Clement’s tweet “ill befits a minister of the crown.”
It’s unclear whether Clement violated any Tory policies, because parties won’t say what sort of official guidance they provide MPs and senators who are tapping out 140-character messages to the world. Nor will they reveal what their policy is when a party member goes too far.
Sen. Patrick Brazeau recently shut down his account after using it to imply that a Canadian Press reporter was a bitch, but no one will say if he was forced to leave Twitter by his party or just did so because he judged he was not using it to the best political effect.
As parties codify how their MPs use the micro-blogging service and further centralize communication online, some observers fear Canadians will lose one of the last unfiltered views of a politician’s personality, and politicians will lose one of the few spots where they can speak their mind outside the party straitjacket.
Politicians “should be allowed to be themselves” on Twitter, argued Toronto-area Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett. Twitter, she said, puts a “real face and real personality” to a politician.
“This is a really important access point citizens have to who we are,” Bennett said.
The federal Conservatives wouldn’t say if a Twitter policy exists. A spokesperson for government whip Gordon O’Connor said his office doesn’t publicly talk about advice it gives to caucus.
The NDP has a social media policy and is currently updating it, but the party wouldn’t share a copy, citing it as strategic information.
The federal Liberals say they don’t have a formal Twitter policy, but have held social media workshops, and caucus members informally swap advice. That advice: If you don’t want to see it in head- lines, don’t put it on Twitter.
“It’s like anything that we say and do,” says Bennett.
Politicians face some of the same dilemmas other professionals – such as teachers, lawyers and even journalists – do when trying to take advantage of social media for better communication.
“What happens with Twitter is that Twitter invades your regular life. What happened to the senator happens to everyone. Every once in a while we say things we shouldn’t say on social media,” said Tamara Small, who studies politicians’ use of Twitter at the University of Guelph. “They’re going to say dumb things.”
Treasury Board President Clement once called a teenager a “Jack ass (sic)” in a direct message on Twitter, while criticizing the student’s grammar.
NDP MP Pat Martin tweeted his frustration with the government limiting debate on the budget by questioning who would put up with this “jackboot shit.”
Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae intervened in a debate between young party members with a simple question: “what bullshit is this?”
“Twitter is spontaneous. It’s one of the risks of Twitter,” said Christopher Cochrane, an associate professor at the University of Toronto– Scarborough who studies political interactions on Twitter. “For politicians, if something comes up and they tweet during it ... it will be a matter of public record.”
More active tweeters are swept up in the expectation that they respond immediately to questions or comments, she said. Unlike in a letter, email or phone call, there’s no way for politicians to screen questions and craft a response.
About five years after social media began finding a permanent position in our political culture, politicians are now expected to be on Twitter lest they be seen as a Luddite, said Cochrane.
More than 200 of the 308 members of Parliament are on Twitter, and about 20 senators, or about one-fifth of the Senate. Usage varies. Although Independent MP Peter Goldring has 801 followers, he has only sent one tweet since July 13, 2009: “I’m testing my new Twitter account.” Clement, by contrast, constantly tweets; in fact, he is mentioned by experts as a rare politician who uses the medium well, along with Liberal MP Justin Trudeau.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the country’s most followed politician, tweets statements and announcements – or, rather, his office usually tweets for him with Harper putting out the odd tweet himself.
Harper’s feed uses Twitter as a broadcasting medium to reach both followers and the estimated 40 per cent of Twitter users who listen and don’t tweet, which is known as lurking, Small said.
As parties craft Twitter policies for their MPs, messaging will likely become more centralized, as opposed to allowing any MP the ability to say what they want, whenever they want.
“Right now, it’s the Wild West,” said Jonathan Rose, an expert on the use of mass media in politics from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. “Once we codify that, it becomes this really regulated speech environment.”
Other professions have started to put rules on how their members use social media. Doctors, for instance, have been warned to not post any information that could identify a patient. The Ontario College of Teachers’ social media policy, released in February 2011, recommended teachers “avoid online criticism about students, colleagues” and employers, and “avoid impulsive, inappropriate or heated comments.”
Journalists working for outlets such as the BBC and CBC are warned to avoid saying anything political or controversial online out of concern it will affect their objectivity.
Postmedia News does not have a Twitter policy per se, but does have a social media policy that lays out similar guidelines for what staff post online.
Small and other experts aren’t sure whether politicians need a how-to guide for Twitter, mainly because no one is sure how to use the service well for political purposes.
“Is 140 characters really what we want in our politicians? I hope not.”