Advertising for contributors
Any proposal to use a chat room, message board or social networking site to find contributors must be referred to the relevant Divisional representative or for independents to the commissioning editor.
The proposed wording of all written adverts must be referred to the same person.
The main reason for this is that there are risks in advertising for contributors whether using posters or personal adverts in newspapers, specialist publications, or the internet. The people who reply are self-selecting and may seek to appear regularly as "serial guests". We need to screen out those who are unsuitable or dishonest and those prone to exaggeration.
We should only advertise for contributors to factual and factual entertainment programmes as a last resort when other research methods have been exhausted. When we do use adverts, we must word them carefully to avoid bringing the BBC into disrepute.
It may be appropriate for entertainment programmes to advertise for contestants and audiences. Even then all appropriate checks should be made to screen out unsuitable or untruthful contributors.
See also Editorial Guidelines, Section 3 – Advertising for Contributors.