Using UGC
The Zapruder film is perhaps the greatest example of user generated content making headline news. The assassination of President Kennedy was captured by a businessman using a basic camera, and sold to Time-Life magazine for $150,000.
All that's changed since 1963 is the speed with which a piece of UGC makes it on the air. It took the Zapruder film twelve years before it was broadcast on national television, having previously been seen by just a select group of people. Now, it can take seconds for a video or photo that's snapped on a mobile phone to be flashed onto TV screens around the country.
As opposed to conlifcts over taste and decency which held back the broadcast of the Zapruder film, the predominant question that broadcasters and publishers must ponder is whether their piece of UGC merits inclusion in a programme or article. Outlets shouldn't rely on UGC to fill space or pad out a programme; we cannot have UGC for the sake of it.
The London Bombings, Concorde's crash and the Boscastle floods have all proven the effectiveness of UGC. They set a precedent for reliable and unique UGC which deserves a wider audience, without sacrificing the quality or standards of the media outlet.
Watch the Zapruder film below:
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