Peter Horrocks' speech at the World Media Summit in Moscow on 6 July 2012.
Good morning ladies and gentlemen.
I have hugely enjoyed the hospitality and generosity of our hosts at this summit. And I have greatly enjoyed discussions with colleagues of all nations. But, with full respect to our hosts, this summit has also shocked me.
It has shocked me because of the fear that I have heard expressed. I have heard fear of social media. I have heard fear of the Internet and I have heard fear about our audiences and what they might do to us.
I have heard this fear yesterday from politicians, although why politicians should be addressing a media summit surprises me. And I have heard this fear from people who announce themselves as journalists, but who actually think like politicians.
But I have also heard hope from the real journalists here. For them the revolution in journalism being brought about by the Internet is the greatest cause for hope in the history of journalism. A few of those journalists have spoken of their hopes in public sessions, but many more have spoken to me privately of their fears. These are the young journalists from countries where the media is controlled by fear, but who hope that the Internet will free them. They come to speak quietly to someone from the BBC, an organisation they look up to, and ask, will we, one day, be able to be proper journalists? And my message today is that Yes, the Internet should ultimately free all journalists to do their job properly. That may take time in some countries, but I am confident that will happen.
Let me explain why it will happen and how my organisation, the BBC, is handling the changes the internet is bringing.
The international news media is going through a revolution that puts the audience in charge. It is a convulsion that is testing every news organisation. With web, social interactivity and globalisation, news brands are in a battle for attention and trust.
(Source : BBC Media Centre)
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