Social media is a prevalent force in many high school student’s lives. For this reason, the WBN, along with many other school news sources, has an Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook account. But of course, with these accounts comes the question of what to post. Should the WBN content put out on social media, especially Instagram, be serious, formal news reporting? Or should it be more lighthearted and relaxed, similar to what students actually post?

Since WBN is a structured news reporting platform, some may argue that their social media presence should reflect that. Things like improper grammar, slang words, and posts that may not be relevant to overall school news may come across as unprofessional.

Others claim that since WBN is run by students, their posts should reflect the way students talk and interact online. Of course, some level of professionalism is expected, especially in the overall sophistication and eloquence of the account, but often a relaxed tone makes the account more relatable to students.

The WBN tries to balance these two tones when thinking about their online presence. Many students agree that a school’s social media account should be a good mix of both. Junior Anthea Goh said that “an informal tone feels good, since it feels like school, but sometimes the posts could be a little higher quality.” 

This blend of relatable and professional is one that is difficult to achieve, but something that many school news programs, WBN included, strive to achieve.