*Lazy journalism?

Pete Clifton, head of BBC News Interactive, gave us an interesting lecture and somewhat altered my opinion on User Generated Content (UGC). Previously, I've stated I'm not a huge fan of UGC, but, when Pete spoke about July 7th in London, I nodded along in agreement. I believe when big-scale incidents such as this happen so quickly, you should utilise any source which will benefit the output.

It begs the question, is this "lazy journalism?" Possibly, but in a world of fierce competition, you can't wait for a rival to be a step ahead of the game. On the other hand, I do believe UGC will create huge problems for journalists dealing with the accuracy and creditably of the content.

In the newsroom, the first impressions and thoughts among BBC journalists was that London had experienced a power surge. However, very quickly, through the help of the public, the first iconic image of the scene arrived and the BBC reassessed their views immediately. Pete said they were able to share the picture instantly with BBC News 24 and have a focal point for the audience to digest. Quality coverage which embraces with what the public wants.

Pete said UGC has raised the profile and reputation of the BBC and is only likely to get bigger and better. His vision is to make more of UGC on News 24, BBC World and interactive tv. For example, over 1,000 pictures were sent in by the public on the day of the London bombings but less than 5% of the content is used.

The BBC have set up a specialist authentication hub and have on file a database of content for BBC 5 Live, the website and BBC breakfast programme. This shows the impact and the change UGC has already enforced on the media, even at the highest level. Pete said: "User Generated Content is a fantastically useful route." However, does Pete say this as an employer of the BBC who are looking to exploit this market or does he genuinely believe this as a journalist?