Detention Debate Live Blogged

Channel 4 provided innovative coverage of the recent terror law proposals by live blogging the crucial debate and vote in parliament.

Journalists from Channel 4 News used Cover It Live software to create a blog to report on the House of Commons 42-day detention debate as it happened.

Channel 4 said of the blog: “Think over-by-over commentary but this time for political junkies.”

The writers worked from noon covering Prime Minister’s Questions, the Commons discussion of the bill and ending the blog in the early evening with the result from the vital vote.

Posts to the live blog detailed questions from the House put to Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

The journalists also used a more informal and conversational tone in the blog, for example passing comment on members’ ties or writing that Hackney MP Diane Abbott was sending a text message.

Particularly impressive was the inclusion of embedded video clips from PMQ’s, the debate and the subsequent vote and the linking to other sources such as Iain Dale’s blog.

Plus, the blog provided an insight into the goings on within the Channel 4 newsroom and issued updates on the afternoon’s progress putting together the evening bulletin.

And the journalists embraced the interactive capabilities of the Cover It Live tool by inviting users to post their comments and questions which could then be put to guests on the television news.