The international radio broadcasting institution that is the BBC World Service is turning 80 this year, and to celebrate it's opening up its daily editorial news meeting to the public in a nod towards the importance social networks play in the news gathering process. At 9:00 GMT on February 29th the World Service will welcome everyone — those who're there in person and others who follow over broadcast, online streams, Twitter (#bbcws80), Facebook, or Skype — into the newsroom to watch the debates that shape the news agenda for the day.

Back in 1932 when the seminal international radio broadcast began, the idea of bringing the public into the editorial meeting would've seemed completely foreign, but today the reality is that social networks already have a large presence in the newsroom. While the public won't be able to voice their opinions during the news meeting, they will have the opportunity to join in during Newshour and World Have Your Say later in the day. See the source link for more information on other special programming that'll be going on throughout the day, which will also mark the start of the World Service's move from its 70-year home, the Bush House, down the road to a new broadcasting at Oxford Circus in London.