‘It’s Genuine, as Opposed to Manufactured’
First Draft uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. They allow us to recognise users over multiple visits, and to collect basic data about your use of the website. Cookies help us provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site. Check our cookie policy to read more. Cookie Policy.

This website is hosted in perpetuity by the Internet Archive.

‘It’s Genuine, as Opposed to Manufactured’

© REUTERS/Umit Bektas

A study to understand UK news audiences’ attitudes towards eyewitness media, a subset of user­‐generated content

Following our two recent research studies exploring how some of the most popular online newspaper sites and TV broadcasters use Eyewitness Media, we set out to better understand the attitudes of news audiences.

We wanted to know what qualities they believe eyewitness media brings to news output, their attitudes towards the importance of verifying, crediting and labelling such content, and how they feel about the process through which journalists seek permission from users who have shared photographs and videos online.

We conducted 10 focus groups in various locations around the UK, including participants whose ages ranged from 16 to 87. All participants were chosen on the basis of having an active interest in the news.

Download the study here.