BBC News Chief Enters UGC Debate

The head of the BBC Newsroom has delivered a speech calling for a re-evaluation of the value of public participation in news production.

Peter Horrocks told an audience at the University of Leeds that the “somewhat messianic and starry-eyed” support from some quarters for user-generated content (UGC) needs “careful consideration”.

Horrocks stated that examples of UGC such as users’ comments can aid the news-gathering process and bring fresh perspectives but emphasised that only a very small minority are actually participating.

“What organisation - a political party, a business, a trades union - would allow its stance to be totally driven by such a small minority?”

Horrocks also uses the example of the recent assassination of Benazir Bhutto to highlight the problems the BBC faces in deciding whether to suspend debating zones if comments become offensive or extreme.

“In terms of audience debate about the subjects we cover in the news, I believe we will need to be more relaxed about letting a wide range of views proliferate. The balance between pre-moderated and post-moderated debate may need to shift.

“And we may simply sometimes point audiences to other places, outside the BBC, where informed debate about topical subjects is happening. So the urge to constrain debate, as with the initial Bhutto response, needs to relax.”

As well as this more ‘relaxed’ approach to comments, Horrocks revealed that the BBC will soon be handling all material from the audience through its central UGC Unit located within its new multimedia newsroom.

The full text of Horrocks’ speech - “Citizen journalism - for the 1% or the 99%?” - can be found on the BBC Editors blog.

Comments posted to the BBC's Have Your Say forum following the assassination of Bhutto can be read here.