Study says News Websites Have Uneasy Relationship with User-Generated Content

Major news websites are struggling to make the most of readers' contributions due to factors such as the costs of moderation and the varying quality of user-generated content (UGC), whilst in return readers are not fully engaging with the UGC initiatives.

Neil Thurman of City University London has just published this research and the press release says that despite the seemingly heavy emphasis on UGC at mainstream news websites, questions remain about the extent to which users are interested both in participating themselves and viewing other readers' contributions. Thurman spoke to editors at Timesonline.co.uk, Telegraph.co.uk, the BBC News website, FT.com, Independent.co.uk, Scotsman.com, TheSun.co.uk, and Associated New Media, and gained first-hand insight into the popularity and failings of UGC across household name news websites. Thurman found that 'popular' debates on the BBC News website's 'Have Your Say' attracted contributions from just 0.05 per cent of the site's daily unique audience, and one fifth the page views of 'popular' news stories. The research reveals legal liabilities are one reason for the slow uptake of UGC by some editors. The majority of publications insisted on moderation because of concerns over: spelling, grammar and decency; duplication; unbalanced views; and a lack of newsworthiness amongst contributions. These issues had caused some websites to drop UGC altogether. Contributors were found to be avid consumers of their own material; however, some publications were struggling to commercialize reader contributions due to low participation rates (at the Independent.co.uk) and insularity (at DailyMail.co.uk). Cost was also an important factor as moderation caused reader participation to be expensive; 80 per cent of the user generated content initiatives launched by the publications surveyed for the study were edited or pre-moderated. Revenues have not yet fully off-set the costs. Thurman found that there was no fundamental prejudice against the form and several publications intended to expand their provision in this area as time and ability allowed. The editors interviewed understood that secondary benefits existed as user generated content initiatives could provide a source of stories and content for stories. The findings have implications for both readers and editors of news websites showing the very practical problems publications face when implementing UGC initiatives. Thurman says: "By becoming gatekeepers of UGC, editors are on familiar territory and can protect their brand's value - a key aspect of their job. But it is a delicate balancing act. Too much filtering and control could frustrate the supply of UGC - something that is not in the interest of editors or users."