As Siberian winds sweep the worst snowfalls into the UK for the last eighteen years, media outlets all over the country find themselves in their element. Editor’s rub their hands with glee safe in the knowledge that they have a free news story affecting the country worth at least three or four different genres of package.
The worst snows the country has seen for over a decade saw the BBC record their most successful day of User Generated Content ever! Floods of pictures and video’s from all over the country were provided onto the TV and internet via mobile phones and email of the different emotions being experienced during this very public snow day.
Images showed children enjoying a second Christmas, this time putting those sledges to good use. The lengths people would go to ensure they had some form of sledge to enjoy the snow with. The images of London yet again grinding to a halt as transport chaos sets in. The images of Westminster frozen over, reminding me of scene described in some Victorian novel, the endless picture and images of snowmen and igloos and the desperation of people as they tried to get to work by digging out their car or walking through the blizzard conditions to reach their destination.
It’s not the first time newsrooms have used UGC to help illustrate their story, however, to date it has usually been the more depressing side of news where this form of journalism has dominated. The London bombings and Buncefield oil depot explosions spurned the public into action to take part in this new technological age of citizen journalism.
Today encouraged more than usual to volunteer their images to newsrooms meaning another groundbreaking day for UGC. Technological and journalistic history made. When will the next time be?
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All images taken from the BBC website provided by citizen journalists
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