Podcast Summary: “A Vision of the Future – the BBC and Visual Journalism”

Podcast: LSE: Public lectures and events
Date: October 22, 2013
Host: Charlie Beckett (Media Agenda, LSE); Guest: Amanda Farnsworth (Head of Visual Journalism, BBC News)

Episode Overview

This episode, delivered as a lecture by Amanda Farnsworth, Head of BBC Visual Journalism, explores how the BBC is innovating in visual journalism to increase distinctiveness, modernity, and understanding in its news offerings. Farnsworth provides an insider’s perspective on the BBC’s multimedia newsroom, explains landmark projects, demonstrates new interactive tools, and discusses the future of visual, data-driven journalism.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Defining “Visual Journalism” at the BBC

• Not just TV graphics or traditional television journalism.

• At BBC, visual journalism fuses graphics, interactivity, telecommunications, online multimedia, and data journalism across platforms (TV, web, tablet, mobile).

• Quote:
  “Bringing television and online together and kind of innovating in that new space...not so much about how you're consuming content, it's about what you want to do with it.”
  (Amanda Farnsworth, 06:48)

• BBC visual journalism team includes:

  • TV graphic designers (for news programs and Newsnight)
  • Online journalists (multimedia/interactives)
  • Developers (write code for digital content)
  • Designers (for online/tele environments)

• Visual journalism as cross-platform, not tied to just one format.
  “It’s really not the platform, but about the content itself.”
  (Amanda Farnsworth, 08:14)

2. Three Core Challenges for BBC Visual Journalism

a. Distinctiveness (“How do we stand out?”)

• Most mainstream news follows the same agenda, so visual and interactive content help the BBC differentiate.
• Case Study: The Great British Class Calculator

  • Interactive calculator, co-developed with universities, dramatically reconceived British social class into six categories.

  • Impact:

    • 6.9 million page views
    • 50 shares per 1,000 views (highest ever for BBC)
    • Cross-platform spikes: when TV bulletins ran the story, the online calculator spiked in usage.

  • Quote:
    “You could write a very worthy article about this [social class], but we didn't. We used a calculator.”
    (Amanda Farnsworth, 14:42)

  • Shared, playful interactives foster viral content and engagement:

    • Olympic Athlete calculator
    • Global “What number baby are you?” tool
    • Budget and fuel calculators for personalized economic insight

  • Quote:
    “If we were only doing these things, you’d think, hang on, maybe we haven’t got the balance right. But we do a lot of even more serious things than this.”
    (Farnsworth, 20:22)

b. Modernity (“BBC as cutting edge”)

• Overcoming the BBC’s “traditional” perception through technology in production and storytelling.
• Virtual Reality Studio:

  • Green screen tech puts correspondents on Mars or the ocean floor (e.g., science editor David Shukman).

  • Testing online interactivity (video hotspots, interactive 3D objects for news):

    1. “How to Put a Human on Mars” (with Imperial College)
    2. Experiments with start-ups (Wire Wax, Touchcast) to add direct interactivity to videos across iPad and other devices.

  • Quote:
    “We’re already experimenting. Here we are at the BBC doing all these kinds of experiments.”
    (Farnsworth, 26:54)

  • Agile, low-cost innovation:

    • Project 50p: Used an Android tablet and custom-coded app for fast, low-cost military explainer (e.g., Syria storyline).

c. Understanding (“Making information clear quickly”)

• Data visualization makes complex topics accessible at a glance.

• Examples:

  • Map of police forces by age of officers: light/dark color scale instantly conveys info.
  • Data maps: e.g., world bribe percentages; nearly a million hits.
  • USA Today’s pollution and school project: joining datasets to create novel insight.
  • Quote:
    “What this graphic is about is how the age of police officers under 26 in each of the police forces in this country. And dark blue is basically, they’re hardly recruiting anyone under 26 and light blue is... all the youngsters are flocking there.”
    (Farnsworth, 33:58)

• Emphasis on visualizations that work across platforms:

  • Designs must work from basic phones to tablets and full desktop.
  • “Our basic offer is always desktop and mobile these days.” (Farnsworth, 37:22)

3. Platform Convergence and Design Complexity

• BBC’s new, massive, integrated newsroom: TV, radio, online all together for daily news and collaboration.
• “In the last year or two...people coming to the news site on mobile is overtaking the number...on desktop.”
• Responsive, adaptive experiences are required; visual journalism is designed platform-first.

4. The Role of Data and “Fun” in Journalism

• Data-based features can also be entertaining:
  • “Horizon Cat Map”: Mapped, via GPS and “cat-cams,” the secret day-to-day life of pet cats in a real village.
    • Created custom-drawn cats for a web interface.
    • Gave users playful, personal access to the collected data.
  • Quote:
    “Cat love. Am I...You came to the right place, I said.”
    (Farnsworth, 44:34)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you look at the news agenda followed by most mainstream media, it’s pretty similar... How does the BBC actually stand out? ...Our visual journalism is one of the ways we can meet that challenge.”
  _(Amanda Farnsworth, 09:42)*

• “We are a truly multi platform multimedia newsroom.”
  _(Farnsworth, 11:01)*

• “You know, they say a picture tells a thousand words. Well, just that basic understanding, that kind of easy way of just going, ‘Yeah, I get that because I can see it visually, rather than having to listen to lots of words.’”
  _(Farnsworth, 10:59)*

Important Timestamps

• [03:08] – Amanda Farnsworth introduction and personal history
• [06:48] – Defining visual journalism at the BBC
• [13:25] – Demo: Great British Class Calculator
• [17:42] – Audience interactivity, shareability, and cross-platform broadcasting
• [20:22] – Range of “serious” and “fun” calculators
• [21:37] – VR studio/virtual sets and first uses for news reporting
• [24:57] – Interactive video experiments (Wire Wax, Touchcast)
• [28:49] – Project 50p (Syria explainer with tablets)
• [33:58] – Using data visualization for quick understanding
• [37:22] – Designing for all platforms; surge in mobile news use
• [41:08] – Data journalism: examples and ambitions
• [43:46] – Making data “fun” (Horizon cat project)

Style and Tone

Farnsworth’s delivery is energetic, humorous, and self-aware, with frequent asides referencing both the changing nature of media and her personal experiences. She uses personal anecdotes, a light conversational style, and self-deprecating humor to make technical concepts accessible and relatable.

Summary Takeaways

Amanda Farnsworth’s lecture illustrates the BBC’s strategies for staying relevant and innovative in a crowded, fast-evolving media environment. By experimenting with visual and interactive storytelling, investing in multi-platform design, and pursuing both serious and “fun” data journalism, the BBC aims to attract wider audiences and foster greater understanding. The session closes with an invitation for questions and further engagement on the future of public service journalism in a visual, digital era.