BBC and Global Voices announce partnership

Posted by Maria Conde on March 9, 2010 at 4:45 PM

The BBC will be teaming up with the non-profit blogging network of citizen journalists, Global Voices, to offer a "different range of perspectives and commentary from around the world," according to the BBC.

Content from Global Voices will be incorporated into the BBC's SuperPower season coverage, a special series on the Internet and the impact it has on our lives.

The BBC will be selecting and linking to some Global Voices stories, as well as asking GV editors to give their views on how the mainstream media handle the news. The editor of the BBC's News website, Steve Herrmann, explained that he believes Global Voices and the wide range of opinions they feature could add an "interesting dimension to some of (the BBC's) news coverage."

Ivan Sigal, executive director of Global Voices online, welcomed the opportunity to share GV content with a broader audience, adding that citizen journalism has acquired an essential role in journalism.

"The past year has been particularly eye-opening in terms of the increasing interplay between mainstream media and citizen journalism."

He explained that events in places like Mumbai, Iran, and Chile are a few examples in which the world was eager to make direct contact with citizens.

Even though citizen journalism initiatives like Global Voices may seem to be in direct opposition with traditional journalism outlets, like the BBC or CNN, Sigal explains that mainstream media covered major conflicts, such as the violent aftermath of the Iranian elections through the lens of citizen content.

For Sigal, it is clear that both citizen journalism and traditional journalism "exist in symbiotic relationship to one another, with many opportunities to collaborate on the creation of news, storytelling, and distribution of content."

In fact, it is not the first time the non-profit journalism initiative announces an alliance with a big media partner. In 2006, Global Voices teamed up with Reuters to provide a wide range of content. Both companies collaborated in the Iraq Newsmakers event, where bloggers from the Middle East participated in a video conference in New York, asking journalists questions about the fairness of their coverage of Iraq.

Global Voices, which was started back in 2005 at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society to make it easier to connect to bloggers from developing countries, has a 200 strong virtual newsroom made up of citizens from countries that do not receive much attention from the media. They are hoping that this partnership with BBC -- which launches today -- will bring their content to a wider audience.

With citizen journalism gaining an important role in news coverage, -- this year, even journalism awards were given to citizen journalists -- it is more and more likely that partnerships like these will continue to spring up, as traditional media outlets recognize the importance and the advantages of offering journalism through the eyes of citizens.

Sources: BBC (1), BBC (2), Global Voices (1), Global Voices (2)