BBC: Caution With Net Pics

The BBC has advised its reporters to be wary of using pictures posted on social networking websites.

According to the Guardian, the corporation recently issued an email to editorial staff recommending that they exercise caution before using photos taken from personal profile pages.

“Simply because material may have been put into the public domain may not always give the media the right to exploit its existence,” states the email.

It continues: “The use of a picture by the BBC brings material to a much wider public than a personal website that would only be found with very specific search criteria.”

The message suggests that journalists consider the potential impact upon people, the veracity of the source and copyright issues before using photos from sites such as Bebo and MySpace.

Several high-profile stories in recent years have brought into focus the question of using social networking sites as sources.

Citizen journalism blogger the Editorialiste discussed the issue in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007, while a Society of Professional Journalists article features a reporter’s account of covering the on-campus tasering of a student in Florida.