UK: Reader comments set news agenda

Posted by Kelley Vendeland on March 13, 2008 at 10:31 AM

Angry- and misinformed- online readers at the Daily Echo in Bournemouth succeeded in setting the paper's news agenda.

The Echo ran a story about seven local councilors on a twin-town visit in Israel when eight students were killed at a Jerusalem university. Online readers responded with a barrage of comments accusing the councilors of wasting tax payer money for leisure trips.

In the wake of the online comments, the Echo conducted interviews with the councilors, and ran a story revealing that the trip had been privately funded.

"Whereas previously [the readers] might not have been motivated to put a pen to paper, it's so much easier to hit a button on a computer," said Nick Rowe, Web Editor for the Echo. "It's the evolution in the way we communicate."

The episode at the Echo is a prime example of two-way communication between media and audience, a development which was recently identified by blogger Paul Bradshaw as one of the top 10 trends in journalism.

Source: HoldTheFrontPage