Strategies for users’ participation in the production of contents of three reference cybermedia: BBC.co.uk, NYT.com and TheGuardian.com

Abstract

Management of public participation with journalistic standards has become one of the greatest challenges of the leading online media that claim to provide quality content. An analysis of the BBC, The New York Times and The Guardian shows ways to combine the ability of some users to provide data and perspective about some current issues, as well as ensuring professional verification in order to guarantee accurate and verified news stories. The BBC has established a highly defined model that gives priority to professional mediation in order to verify all contributions from the users. Study cases show how each media designs management participation through very clearly differentiated models. Experimentation dominates the scene in the media analyzed.