Top journalists comprising a panel on the changing face of media at the IMG World Congress of Sports engaged in a vigorous debate on the role of social media. Peter King, SI Senior Writer and Editor-In-Chief of TheMMQB.com, said he sees it as a necessary tool. "The question is how you can be different, be heard, and make a difference in the cacophony of crapola that's out there," he said. "That can become a challenge. ... In today's social media, you have to do it, but you can't let it run your life."
Jason Whitlock, ESPN columnist and head of the forthcoming site The Undefeated, said he has given up looking for thoughtful commentary on Twitter. "I don't see Twitter as all that important now," he said. "I tend to treat Twitter as a joke. I don't look for serious commentary there." Pam Oliver, Fox Sports Senior Correspondent, has avoided social media altogether. "I've resisted it," she said. "I don't really care for it. It takes away from what it is you're trying to do. I don't know how people have the energy. I feel like in some way it's an ego trip for people."
Former ESPN Exec VP John Walsh said the jury remains firmly out on social media. "What we do know is that we are living in an era which is the greatest era for media since the invention of the Gutenberg Press," he said. "But right now, it's too early to judge. It'll be a long time before we really figure out what social media meant to this era of American media."
