UGC can promote greater media democracy

The term User Generated conflict may have fallen by the wayside apart from in journalism schools but the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA)has produced a set of guidelines for broadcasters wishing to work with the medium.

They can be downloaded as a PDF

One issue that it brings to the fore is that of its use in promoting media democracy

While encouraging ‘better quality’ UGC (however that may be defined) might appear a worthwhile aim, pursuing this goal alone could serve only to further amplify the voices of the better resourced members of the audience and further marginalise the poor and disempowered. The aim of these guidelines, therefore, is to provide guidance on how to encourage a greater diversity of material from a wider range of voices: material that serves both the public and commercial needs of broadcasters and the viewing and democratic needs of the widest possible audience.

Ht-Laura Oliver