TALLAHASSEE — The Office of the State Courts Administrator has created some social-media accounts in an effort to better serve the public.
According to a report on SunshineStateNews.com, the accounts — which will be on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook — will be used to send out news and other information related to the Florida court system.
The OSCA indicated the accounts will also post job openings, stories, educational information, and some historic images. It also will include material about the OSCA and the district and circuit courts around the state.
Florida State Courts Administrator PK Jameson told the Florida Record in an email interview that the information would conform with the platform.
“There will be some cross-pollination of information, certainly. But we also think there are strengths to each platform and we want to take advantage of those,” she said. “Twitter, for instance, is a very strong platform for the fast and efficient dissemination of news. We think media releases, district-court opinion releases and emergency announcements — about court closures ahead of hurricanes, for instance — will be the best use of Twitter.
“Facebook, on the other hand, is more about narrative and connections. We will try to use Facebook to tell the good stories we have to relate. Instagram, of course, is primarily a visual medium, and we will use it for such things as sharing photographs of historic courthouses.”
While the Florida Supreme Court has been active on social media for more than seven years, this is the first time the OSCA has set up such accounts.
“We think a powerful combination of factors make this the right time for Florida courts and social media,” Jameson said.
“First, our state’s judicial branch has a compelling story to tell and it is not widely enough known. The nearly 1,000 judges in the state courts system, as a whole, do an amazing job fulfilling the mission of the branch and doing so efficiently and effectively.
“Second, the power of social media and the ability to reach a significant audience is now far beyond dispute. It is time for the state courts system to use the tools Florida residents access on a daily basis in order to spread the word about the great work Florida’s courts are doing.”
The accounts will operate within the Florida Code of Judicial Conduct, which Jameson said was important.
“Our courts are also very protective of their impartiality, as they should be. It is important to maintain and protect the courts’ position as an impartial arbiter,” she said. “While there are corners of social media the state courts will not use at this time, much of it has matured and can be used as a legitimate channel to distribute information. We want to take advantage of that and know we can do so appropriately.”
Jameson said they were hoping to build an audience that is interested in the state’s judicial and court system.
“We hope to build an audience that sees the value of what is done every day by Florida’s courts and the people who work in them,” she said.