LP’s Thorn Tree Forum to re-open in stages

In mid-December 2012 the BBC, owners of Lonely Planet, shut down the popular Thorn Tree travel forum. The destination pages have now re-opened with stricter posting guidelines, and other sections of the forum will open in the coming months.

Lonely Planet closure of Thorn Tree triggered by letter to acting BBC director-general

There is some degree of confusion as to who may have started the process, but a BBC (owner of Lonely Planet) official confirms that the initial concerns were raised by a “forum user” who informed the acting director-general of the corporation, Tim Davie.

Davie (keeping the DG seat warm until new boss Tony Hall takes over in March) is said to have immediately forwarded the complaint to BBC Worldwide.

The BBC has already denied that speculation circulating that the Thorn Tree forum was closed due to the discovery of material or comments relating to paedophilia.

The line being used consistently by Lonely Planet and the BBC is that the forum contained some “inappropriate content” which breached editorial guidelines.