Podcast Summary: Polis Journalism Conference 2013 - 10:00 Session

Podcast: LSE Public Lectures and Events
Date: April 5, 2013
Host: Charlie Beckett (LSE, Polis)
Speakers: Ruhr Bierman (European Broadcasting Union), Silla Benko (Director General, Swedish Radio), Trushar Barot (BBC UGC & Social Media Hub)

Overview

This session of the Polis Journalism Conference 2013 explores the evolving role of public service media in a rapidly changing digital landscape, focusing on the core theme of trust. Prominent media leaders discuss how public broadcasters can remain indispensable, adapt to social media, increase audience engagement, and maintain credibility in an era of fragmentation, misinformation, and changing consumption habits.

The conversation features concrete case studies from the Netherlands, Sweden, and the BBC, examining best practices in building trust, engaging audiences through new platforms, and the journalist’s evolving responsibilities.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Challenge: Remaining Indispensable and Trusted

Ruhr Bierman (EBU) [01:36—17:32]

• Presentation of Vision 2020, an EBU-wide project seeking to redefine how public service media can be seen as “indispensable” to audiences and stakeholders amid technological, economic, and societal change.
  • “The basic question we want to answer is: How to be indispensable in the eyes and ears of our audiences and stakeholders? …It’s about perception. In the end, it's not on what you think yourself.” [03:57]
• Emphasizes that trust is both a programmatic issue (content) and an institutional one (the broadcaster itself).
• Stresses that the need for trusted, objective sources is growing due to:
  • Increasing complexity in societies, requiring better journalistic analysis.
  • Erosion of journalistic standards and audience fragmentation (“foxification”).
  • Competition from global digital platforms.
• Advocates for shifting from a “fortress” mentality to a “network” approach, engaging audiences directly.

Best Practice Examples [09:42—17:26]

Bierman shares six case studies illustrating how public service media can foster trust:

1. Altijd Wat Monitor (Netherlands):

   • Transparency & Participation: An interactive research board involving the audience in reportage, open sourcing research materials, inviting correction and input.
   • “If we work together, we can see the bigger picture.” [10:44, Example video]

2. NRK’s Norway Crisis Coverage:

   • Empathy During Crisis: Focus shifted to consolation/connectivity before deep reporting. Audience needs guided editorial strategy.
   • “In the first few days… the focus was more on consolation and connecting with the audience than… journalism.” [11:50]

3. Medialorica (Netherlands):

   • Self-Criticism: A program about journalism itself, debunking media-amplified rumors and examining newsroom behavior.

4. Thanking Audiences for License Fees (Sweden):

   • Audience Attitude: SVT expresses gratitude creatively, counteracting institutional arrogance.

5. SVT Staff Diversity Survey (Sweden):

   • Inclusivity: Surveying staff beliefs and comparing them to the general population to highlight bias and foster better journalism.
   • “The more you are capable of showing different angles […] the more trust you will gain.” [14:35]

6. DWDD University (Netherlands):

   • Educational Programming: One expert explains complex science topics in primetime, showing commitment to public enlightenment and mass reach.

Quote:
“There is a big role [for public broadcasters], provided you do your homework.” [05:59]

2. Trust, Social Media, & the Public Service Identity

Silla Benko (Swedish Radio) [18:00—29:29]

• Identifies trust as the “keyword for the future” of public service amidst political and financial pressures.
  • “If we can create trust, then it’s much, much, much harder for people that want to harm us to actually succeed.” [18:16]
• Sets out five content priorities for Swedish Radio: foreign coverage, local presence, news/investigative journalism, cultural outreach, and digital transition.
• Reverses traditional attitudes—now focuses on bringing content to audiences, not demanding audiences come to the broadcaster.
  • “Our main mission is now to get the content to the audience, to get the conversation going.” [19:10]
  • Allows other websites, even competitors, to embed their radio player, broadening reach.

Journalist 3.0: The Two-Way Dialogue

• Contrasts:
  • Journalist 1.0: Traditional, controlled process.
  • Journalist 2.0: Decentralized, anyone can publish, little liability or verification.
  • Journalist 3.0: The goal—dialogue before, during, and after production, co-creating news with audiences without abdicating journalistic standards.
  • “It’s not abdicating, it’s not handing over the microphone… You still have to be the journalist evaluating facts, but you have to have a dialogue with your audience.” [20:56]

Swedish Radio Case Studies [22:45—27:42]

• Public Network:

  • Crowdsourced newsroom topics by recruiting 300 locals to provide tips, broadening scope and depth of local coverage.
  • “The variety of news is just much bigger now when 300 people are participating instead of the same four every morning.” [22:25]

• The Earth (P1 Channel):

  • Science programming sourced from blog debates; audience drives agenda, editors curate, then produce radio programs.

• Staff on Twitter:

  • Mandatory for newsroom journalists, used as a tool for sourcing, not just promotion; essential to newsgathering diversity.

Viral Anti-Racism Campaign [27:33—27:42]

• YouTube+Twitter Campaign:
  • Urban station in Stockholm asked people directly affected by racism to share their stories. A video went viral, hashtag generated 600 stories in three days, which became week-long programming.
  • “They turned the whole debate around in Sweden… This is a way how public service can build trust.” [27:45]

Quote:
“If we don’t change with the environment around us, we will not be able to keep these figures that I’m also very proud of.” [28:39]

• Shows European Commission data: Swedish Radio is Europe’s most trusted radio organization.

3. Verification and UGC in the BBC Newsroom

Trushar Barot (BBC UGC & Social Media Hub) [29:59—41:33]

• UGC & Social Media Hub’s work focuses on:

  1. Sourcing diverse stories from audience and social media.
  2. Making rapid, reliable editorial judgments.
  3. Distributing findings across platforms.
  • “The audience is a fantastic source in their own right—away from official government agencies and experts.” [30:50]

Verification in Action: Syria “Buried Alive” Video [32:15—40:00]

• Case study: A viral, distressing video of a Syrian activist allegedly being buried alive is circulated on Twitter and picked up by credible journalists.
• BBC process:
  • Initial red flags:
    • Audio was too clear; sudden video cut-off; narration inconsistent with circumstances.
    • Source not recognized by experienced BBC Arabists.
  • Crowdsourced verification:
    • A tweet by Barot prompted volunteers to analyze the clip, including audio forensics (revealing possible dubbing).
  • Expert consultation:
    • BBC Monitoring and Arabic Service had additional insights (e.g., accent authentic, footwear explained).
  • Conclusion:
    • Likely staged, possibly by regime forces as a warning to activists.

Quote:
“My instinct—not based on real evidence, but my hunch—is that as the chatter reaches deafening proportions in social media…what will really be of great value…is real nuggets of truthful analysis and journalistic judgment.” [40:58]

• Reinforces the centrality of journalistic expertise alongside technical tools in the verification process.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ruhr Bierman (on public trust):
  “Today…quite some EU members…enjoy a high level of trust. And the question is, will it stay that way?” [05:59]

• Silla Benko (on future engagement):
  “Journalist 3.0 is a two-way, true dialogue with your audience…If we as traditional journalists don’t realize…the importance of social media…we will be out of business.” [20:56]

• Trushar Barot (on trust in fragmentation):
  “Trust is actually a growth industry in journalism.” [40:35]

• Audience Member (on crisis journalism):
  “The basic tenet of journalism is that we need to displace ourselves from the story. If you are consoling people in a crisis, are you not participating in the story?” [47:39]

• Ruhr Bierman (response):
  “I come from a culture where the reflex is we need to do journalism and…push anything else aside…But think about the balance.” [48:21]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:36] — Ruhr Bierman introduces Vision 2020 and the challenge of trust.
• [09:42] — Bierman’s six case study examples.
• [18:00] — Silla Benko (Swedish Radio) on trust and audience engagement.
• [22:45] — Public Network and crowdsourcing local radio stories.
• [27:33] — Case: Anti-racism video campaign and its impact.
• [29:59] — Trushar Barot (BBC): UGC, diversity, and social media.
• [32:15] — BBC Syria “buried alive” video verification case.
• [41:48–49:38] — Audience Q&A: On verification, social media demographics, minorities, and objectivity in crisis reporting.

Audience Q&A Highlights

• Verification on Social Media:
  • Both Benko and Barot emphasize that standard verification still applies with new platforms; guidelines and internal handbooks provide structure (e.g. Swedish Radio’s social media handbook) [42:11].
• Diversity and Reach:
  • Twitter and Facebook each serve different age groups; broadcasters must reach beyond established platforms to avoid bias and stay relevant [42:10, 43:41].
• Language & Inclusion:
  • Swedish Radio produces in minority and migrant languages (e.g., Arabic, Somali, Albanian, English) for local and global audiences [46:51].
• Objectivity vs. Engagement in Crisis:
  • Balancing emotional connection with neutrality; different responses necessary depending on the phase and context of a developing crisis [48:21].

Takeaways

• Building and maintaining trust is an active, evolving process for public broadcasters and demands innovation, transparency, empathy, and rigorous verification.
• Social media provides unprecedented opportunities for dialogue, sourcing, and audience engagement, but also heightens the need for journalistic scrutiny and institutional credibility.
• The future of journalism is collaborative, multi-platform, and grounded in both technological skill and ethical expertise.
• Public service media can—and must—adapt to serve increasingly diverse audiences, and in doing so, can strengthen their societal value and legitimacy.

For further discussion on digital journalism skills, diversity in outreach, and practical social media techniques, the conference offers related sessions later in the day.