The Future is Public Facing

"Last week we launched a project at the BBC that is, rather grandly, called the Future of News. The aim is to try and understand what audiences might reasonably expect from the news over the coming decade. We are trying to consider what technology will do, what people will want and how stories will be told. Our approach is open. We want to canvass opinions, we want to host as many views as possible from people across the industry and our considerations and conclusions will be available to all: the Future of News will be public-facing, with findings that people can watch, hear, read, engage and debate openly. And most crucial to our understanding of how we need to change is understanding what you want from us as a global news provider."

Not a script line from Ian Fletcher, leader of The Way Ahead Task Group at the BBC in the next series of observational comedy W1A, but BBC Director of News James Harding at the Public Radio Programme Directors' annual conference in Portland, Oregon last week.