Pete Clifton's Lecture 8/11/07

[Rebecca Cotton]

MY NEWS NOW

“News you want, when you want it.” This was the theme of Pete Clifton, BBC head of news interactive lecture and immediately I thought here we go again, an abrupt way of trying to fill a niche and retain people’s interest in news stories (traditional news audiences are now in decline by 8%). However the more he talked and demonstrated about Personalised News the more impressed I became.

To be able to talk to future editors who will explain the decisions they are taking and talk directly back to you; and to get news which is local to your post code and have an opportunity to become a ‘citizen journalist’ means people can have some kind of ownership (though journalist will have to ‘shout’ louder to be heard).

Citizens have being paying a licence fee for the BBC since the 1920’s; even now 50p of the fee goes towards BBC news interactive. So why shouldn’t the corporation give what the majority of the nation desires (according to Audience Research) - a more modern, accessible and dynamic news media, not just an upstanding, respected and accurate one.

The ability to have a voice, a say in what goes on in the country or even an opinion on celebrity programmes like 'Big Brother' (the most read story on the BBC web) is what gives people in the 20th Century the chance to achieve what is lacking in our in our Parliament now, Freedom of Speech, therefore honest democracy. So whether John Reith would approve or not, the BBC is giving what the people of the UK need.