Blogs and UGC alone cannot provide impartial news, C4 editor claims

The assistant editor of Channel 4 News has said blogs and user-generated content (UGC) alone cannot provide the impartial news that the public demands.

Speaking at the Westminster Media Forum, yesterday (14 November 2006), Martin Fewell said: "My view is that blogs and user-generated content, nine times out of 10, will be complementary to traditional news

"I don't believe that it can be the provider of high-quality, impartial news that people want."

Despite all the recent developments of new ways to engage with Channel 4 news, Mr Fewell said he believed appointment-to-view television news would remain the best way for people to engage with news.

He also said that additional Channel 4 News services, such as the launch last week of a blog, were part of a plan to build a community of online users around the brand.

He later told Journalism.co.uk: "Blogs by journalistic organisations are an opportunity to add value to our core products, television news. We gather a lot more information and learn a hell of a lot more during the course of our journalism than we can ever put on the television."

He added: "The blog also has value in allowing users to engage with the journalists, so it stops it being a single, top-down process. I'm hoping the blog we have launched will be a source, not just of comment, but also of news angles and ideas from our viewers.

“We already get a lot. We have fantastic email conversation with our viewers, from which we get lots of story ideas and opinions, and it will enhance that."

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).