Rachel Nixon, deputy world editor with BBCNews.com, is to join Canada-based ‘participatory news network’ NowPublic as its global news director, according to a press release posted on Alfred Hermida’s blog.

In her new role Nixon, who has worked for BBCNews.com for nine years, will be responsible for the editorial operations of the site’s citizen correspondents, who span 3,600 cities across more than 140 countries.

“The NowPublic team has blazed trails from day one and clearly mainstream media is now embracing the media model that NowPublic originated,” she said on her appointment.