In 2008, the BBC World Service launched the "Your Story" project - taking citizen journalism to another level. Since its launch in June last year, anyone with access to the internet can upload a story, with the possibility that it may be heard or seen by large audiences if used by the BBC World Service.

On the Your Story homepage on the BBC website, readers are encouraged to make contributions, whether in the form of news ideas or actual news bulletins. In an interview with Journalism.co.uk site, Nina Robinson, a senior broadcast reporter, explained that the corporation worked closely with individuals to nurture interesting story ideas, providing equipment where necessary, as well as general training and advice, before Robinson personally edits the finished reports.

Stories have come from all over the world, although Ricardo's 2007 personal story of life in Brazil's favelas is often seen as a precursor. Currently dominating the homepage were stories from an Afghan acid attack victim, Jamaican inmates talking on life behind bars as well as a look at the way the economic crisis has affected the US state of Michigan.

Robinson was proud of the project's ability to engage with people who were able to suggest stories that may have otherwise been overlooked, and cited this as the main reason behind its success. She also said the scheme contributed to the overall democratic news process: "Rather than the BBC as a news organisation dictating the news agenda, we're listening to what people are telling us, taking in their opinions, thoughts, sometimes eyewitness accounts - whether they be in the form of photos, videos, or opinion pieces."

Outlining what she would like to see more of in the future, Robinson said she hoped to be able to count more on "grassroots" citizen journalists, particularly those based in remote areas of the world.

The Your Story blog is not actually printed on the BBC - its style and format significantly different: "We decided to blog outside the BBC because of the developing technology and its ease of use," said Robinson.

The BBC has been a fierce advocate of the web, harnessing all the many digital platforms to expand its news reporting repertoire. Last week, the corporation launched its new mobile homepage, for example, and last December it joined forces with the Telegraph Media Group to share BBC iplayer content on the Telegraph site.

Citizen Journalism has itself proven to be a social phenomenon, with social networking tools such as Twitter said to have contributed to its explosion, yet few global news organisations are known to offer both the training and tools like the BBC World Service.

Whilst citizen journalism continues to grow, it is not without its critics, who fear the trend may develop at the cost of professional, trained journalists and also note that many citizen journalists themselves lose out on account of unfair terms and conditions.

Although, handled correctly, citizen journalism stories will - rather than "dumb down" journalism - ultimately enrich our current news practices. As Murdoch Mactaggar said in an article back in 2005 too "many intelligent, committed and 'serious' journalists are still seemingly unable to overcome outdated and completely unfounded prejudices against a medium about which they appear to know very little." The BBC is often the target of criticism for various reasons, but lagging behind in the technological stakes, at least, is surely not one of them.

Sources: BBC.co.uk , Journalism.co.uk , Vimeo.com