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BBC NEWS UK How 7/7 'democratised' the media: "
How 7/7 'democratised' the media

By Torin Douglas
Media correspondent, BBC News


It may not be the most significant legacy of the London bombings, but 7 July 2005 marked a turning point for the media.
That was the day the phenomenon of 'user-generated content' (UGC) or 'citizens' journalism' came into its own in Britain, as members of the public took over the roles of photographers and news correspondents.
That day, the BBC received 22,000 e-mails and text messages about the London tube and bus bombings.
There were 300 photos - 50 within an hour of the first bomb going off - and several video sequences.
With events happening largely underground, far removed from the eyes of the media professionals, the mobile phone camera came into its own, helping illustrate the day's horrific events in a way that would not have been possible before.

Stills from passengers on the Tube led the BBC News bulletins
The public's photos of the bus with its roof blown off helped confirm this was a bomb and not a power surge, as London Underground had first suggested. "