BBC Monitoring

BBC Monitoring provides global media intelligence to governments, international institutions, and commercial organisations.

Business Analyst · Jun 2021 - Oct 2022 · New Broadcasting House, London

At a glance

  • Led React migration of user portal
  • Rebuilt search and homepage experience
  • Delivered analytics improvements for data-led decisions
  • Coordinated stakeholders across editorial, commercial and government partners

Operational improvements

User portal

  • Led migration, redesign, implementation and release of the subscriber portal to React.
  • Reworked homepage, article templates and search to improve usability and content discovery.
  • Delivered new publishing capability within a restricted budget.
  • Led analytics improvements that strengthened monitoring and reporting and supported a shift toward data-led decision making.
  • Managed external developers and coordinated stakeholders across BBC teams, government partners and commercial customers.

CMS platform

  • Designed and delivered a bespoke AWS-based CMS from inception through rollout and iterative improvement.
  • Replaced legacy curation and editing workflows across BBC Monitoring.
  • Improved resilience and efficiency for mission-critical publishing operations.
  • Initially scoped for contractor workflows and later adopted across editorial teams.
  • Oversaw phased rollout to international bureaus including Delhi and Nairobi.

Collaboration

  • Integrated News and Monitoring BA communities to improve collaboration and shared working practices.

Outcomes

Faster discovery for customers More resilient publishing workflows Stronger decision making through improved analytics

Operational context and constraints

Designing products for challenging environments

Product decisions were shaped by real-world constraints. Journalists and monitoring teams operated in low-connectivity environments and in locations where discretion and reliability were essential. This informed the design of the CMS and user tools, prioritising performance, mobile usability and dependable workflows under constrained conditions.

Used by governments and global institutions

BBC Monitoring's reporting is used by governments, diplomatic services, defence and intelligence organisations, and international institutions including the UN and World Bank. The accuracy, speed and resilience of the tools supporting this work were critical.

Operating during geopolitical crisis

I worked at BBC Monitoring during a period of major geopolitical upheaval, including Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan. The service was reporting on events in regions where information environments were rapidly changing and operational conditions could be difficult.

What BBC Monitoring does

BBC Monitoring tracks and explains how the world's media reports events, policy and conflict. It gathers content from broadcast, print, online and social media in dozens of languages, then translates and contextualises it so organisations can understand how narratives are shaped across regions. Governments, diplomatic services, defence and intelligence agencies, international institutions and commercial organisations use this open-source insight to monitor sentiment, anticipate risk and support decision-making.

Founded in 1939 to monitor radio broadcasts during the Second World War, the service began by tracking propaganda and political messaging. It has evolved alongside the media landscape, expanding from radio to television, digital news and social platforms. Today it operates as a global monitoring network, combining linguistic expertise with editorial judgement to trace how stories emerge, spread and shift across borders.

London Delhi Jerusalem Miami Ramallah Tbilisi Cairo Istanbul Kyiv Nairobi Tashkent