03.09.2010 at 4:47 pm | Have your say »

Germany’s public broadcaster view on user generated content

Despite having a wide network of correspondents around the world, Tagesschau, Germany’s largest public news broadcaster makes use of user generated content on its broadcasts as it can not cover every newsworthy events.

Tagesschau, arguably the most successful television show in Europe. For instance, its 8 p.m popular news show attracts at least 9 million viewers.

The broadcaster boasts of a larger network of correspondents more than BBC and CNN.

Tagesschau’s chief editor, Thomas Hinrichs says Tagesschau makes minimum use of user generated material in its broadcast since it has its team of reporters who cover events.

But the channel accepts user generated content material from places like Iran where it is difficult to cover events and depend on material posted on social platforms like youtube.com.

“In Iran, we have a correspondent based in Tehran, we are the only station here in Germany with a permanent correspondent. But once in a while, he is unable to get out for fear of being arrested and that is where we make use of user generated content,” Hinrichs says.

Tagesschau Editor in Chief, Thomas Hinrichs. Photo by Petrus Damar Harsam

“The conservatives would say why do you want user generated content, you have so many correspondents out there. We spend so much money on our studios out there.”

He added: “We do not want to make use of this material. Do you know whether you can trust it, is it real, is it fake?”

“We think that we have got to get prepared to make use of it (user generated content), we have to find ways to find out whether this material is good or not,” he said.

Tagesschau has used videos posted on youtube.com to report on Iran riots and Hinrichs says it is sometimes difficult to verify some of the videos but relies on correspondents on the ground to verify the videos.

The correspondents will check in their area whether anything shown on the video happened or if it is the right place where the event is said to have occurred, Hinrichs says.

Checking facts for reliability

Top television channels always fight to break news stories across the world and sometimes make mistakes of broadcasting unverified information especially when dealing with user generated content.

At Tagesschau, Hinrichs says they have a proven record of breaking news faster than other news channels but admitted they are slower sometimes as they take time to verify facts on certain news events so as to broadcast reliable information.

“Our biggest advantage is we do not make mistakes .We are once in a while a little slower but reliable. That’s why, we say we don’t have to win every race,” Hinrichs says.

“You can be slower; you can say this is unchecked yet. We will not broadcast yet. The others might do it, but once in a while it will be just a mistake,” he added.

“Therefore we say reliability is more important than quickness at that point. On the other hand, not to make use of user generated content will not keep you up to the expectations of our audience.”

Hinrichs says there is no rule on how to verify facts on user generated content material but the process involves re-checking for facts.

“It depends in general we do it by our own but once in a while you have no other way and you really have to check, check, check, to re-check, re-check and after we have done that we broadcast,” says Hinrichs.

“We haven’t made any mistakes yet. We are ones who say zero tolerance to mistakes.”

User generated content example

An example of Tagesschau’s use of citizen journalism is when it broadcast news from a private individual regarding a plane accident at Hamburg International airport.

“We did it once; it was in here in Hamburg. At Hamburg airport there was a plane, it was really windy and it touched one of its wings on the road when it was landing and it was an amazing picture. And only a private guy had the material,” Hinrichs said.

“And now the question was, do you want to make use of it or not and we said yes of course, this cannot be a fake,” he said.

Hinrichs said verifying the pictures sent by the private individual was ‘easy’ as they interviewed people at the airport who witnessed the accident.

“We heard about it from people who saw it. Since it was the only material which was there, then of course we broadcast it,” Hinrichs said.

User generated content journalistic ways

As most traditional media would argue the use of citizen journalism can only be justified when it is correctly and fact checked properly.

Tagesschau plans to make use of its wide network of correspondents across the world to improve its coverage of events.

“We are just preparing to be able to receive user generated content journalistic ways. We have 25 studios out there, we have 50 correspondents only for television, we have radio reporters,” Hinrichs says.

“With the help of the internet we can make use of them to; for instance in Santiago, Chile after with the earthquake we did not have a TV correspondent, he is located in Rio de Janeiro.”

“He couldn’t fly over there, he had to take the route on land, across the country. And all along we have been using a radio correspondent from our system who was able to do a live.”

| Tagged Case Studies