The BBC has been "blogged"

Last updated on: January 9, 2005 at 9:33 am by Adrian Warnock

The BBC has been "blogged" 2005-01-09T09:33:00+00:00 Adrian Warnock

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Hugh Hewitt uses the verb “blogged” in the sense of what happens to the victim of a blog swarm which I guess must at least be part of the cause for the 45,000 comments the BBC received on last nights Jerry Springer The Opera even before it had been aired.

I guess trying to prevent the broadcast of such a film did seem like a lost cause but maybe we will have helped them to realise that there is a line beyond which they should not go. There will be some kind of complaints inquiry- I would value someone with more knoweldge of the process to post it on their blog- it will have a link here if you email me to tell me its up.

What is more interesting is wether some kind of legal action is open to individuals- again more information would be helpful.

Also, this doesnt have to stop just because the program went ahead. Indeed they need to receive many many complaints post-transmission at both the BBC and Ofcom. because the number really does count. So go complain, or indeed if you disagree with me write a letter thanking the BBC for their actions.

Someone commentating on my last post on the subject said

The BBC considers the validity of a complaint, not how many people make that complaint. One correct complaint is more influential than 45,000 incorrect ones

I find that comment strange and slightly patronising. When it comes to something being “likely to cause offense” then surely the number of complaints would have a correlation with the “correctness” of the complaint. Certainly in dealing with other regulatory codes (something which is a major part of my day job) the numbers of complaints received is highly relevant. The fact that a certain image was in use for several years before a complaint was received was an argument used against that image being likely to cause complaint in a case I was once involved in. We live in a democracy where the views of people count more than an elitist old media group like the BBC deciding whats good for us.

The magic of the blogosphere and mass movements is that they are democratic. A few people- no doubt partly prompted by reading a post like mine and disagreeing with it-have written in support of the piece. They are welcome to do so, and the BBC should consider carefully the balance of the correspondence they have received as it reflects public opinion. Yes, blogging and the use of email has multiplied their mailbos massively in this case, they have indeed been “blogged”.

The fact that they have chosen to ignore the power of the blog may yet come back to haunt them. For the power of the consumer must be listened to in this matter- 45,000 commments should tell you something about the acceptability of a course of action.

To argue otherwise is so pre-blog.

My latest email to the BBC, which was also copied to Ofcom reads as follows

I refer you to my pre-airing correspondence with you on this subject and wish to register a post-airing formal complaint that 45,000 coments were ignored. It would seem to me that it should have been obvious to you that the program would cause offense and that receipt of so many comments was a clear indication that it was indeed offensive. I will be pursuing this matter to the maximum extent and serve notice that I have contacted ofcom also and will be exploring what legal action is open to individuals.

Please contact me with the outcome of your formal investigation into this matter by email and or phone as well as writing to me at the address below,

It is of note to me that the only individualised response to the points I raised that I received prior to the broadcast was from Ofcom who explained very politely that they did not have any authority to deal with my complaints until the matter was aired.

I also wish to add to my complaint a further complaint that you did not deal with my complaint according to your proceedures. I have evidence that you were issuing standard response letters. This would be acceptable if those letters addressed the points raised by individual complaints but since they patently failed to address some specific concerns raised by myself citing specific clauses of the code which you are bound to follow, I would like to formally complain about the way you handled my complaint.

I also wish to complain that it was impossible to reach you via telephone at points during the last week,

I trust that you will be able to trace copies of my previous emails which I suspect have been unread thus far by anyone at the BBC.

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