Lib Dem leader to face social media grilling in Reuters event

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg will face questions submitted via a range of social media sites as part of a live event hosted by Reuters next Monday (July 13).

The event is the latest in a series of high-profile 'Q&A' Great Debate/Newsmaker sessions organised by Reuters, with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Conservative party leader David Cameron previously answering queries submitted via Twitter, 12 Seconds and other social sites.

Ahead of the G20 meeting in May, Reuters invited Bob Zoellick, president of the World Bank, to participate in a live forum following a formal speech.

But Monday's event, which begins at 1pm (BST), will be entirely dedicated to answering questions from the online audience and Journalism.co.uk will be co-hosting part of the proceedings.

"It's all about engagement. We've found in previous events that you get a more interesting interview if the questions come direct from the public," Mark Jones, global community editor for Reuters, told Journalism.co.uk.

"There's a degree of unpredictability that means the interviewee has to think on his or her feet. And those watching feel they've got a chance either of getting their own questions answered or seeing those with similar concerns dealt with directly."

[See our Editors' blog post on how you can take part and how to follow the event]

"Next week I am going to do another of my public Q&A meetings, but this time it is going to be live and online so that you can ask me your questions from home, your work or wherever you happen to be online. There will be no script and no special invitations - just get in touch and ask a question on subjects that concern you," wrote Clegg in an introduction to the event.

Free daily newsletter

If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).