YouTube Direct launches to help news outlets gather citizen videos

Posted by Emma Heald on November 17, 2009 at 11:11 AM

YouTube is releasing a new open-source interface called YouTube Direct that aims to make it easier for news organisations to have access to relevant clips from citizen journalists, it was widely reported. The application, to be unveiled today, will allow media outlets to integrate a video upload tool into their sites, where they can accept and screen user footage, described TechCrunch. All content uploaded will also appear on the YouTube site.

As more and more of the public are equipped to record video on cameras or mobile phones, and it becomes easier to upload, citizen contributions are being welcomed at more and more news outlets, particularly as financial difficulties are cau. So many videos are uploaded to YouTube each minute, however, that it is hard to find news-worthy content and very difficult to ascertain its reliability.

The idea behind YouTube Direct is that is not only will videos come directly to the news outlets, with outlets having the chance to request footage, but that fact checking could be much easier as organisations could request details such as a phone number from anyone who uploads content. Editors can review videos and accept or reject them; if they are accepted then they will be tagged on the main YouTube site with a link to the news outlet's site.

The Huffington Post has been testing the service in beta and the San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, Politico and the Washington Post will all use it.

According to Steve Grove, head of News and Politics at YouTube, writing on the company's business blog, "we built YouTube Direct to help news organizations expand their coverage and connect directly with their audiences." The way the new service is presented on the blog is very much as an effort to assist news outlets, and the New York Times suggests that YouTube, owned by Google, is seeking "to portray itself as an ally of media companies and other news gatherers." Conflict persists between Google and news publishers over advertising revenue.

Source: YouTube blog, TechCrunch, New York Times, Guardian

1 Comments

cit_journo said:

No mention though if YouTube Direct will allow users to earn money if their uploads are published by news organizations... that's a very important aspect of citizen journalism, one not to be overlooked when it comes to evaluating this new move by YouTube.

In any case, it sounds like the same thing Citizenside.com has been doing in France for years now, the only diference being you absolutely get paid if your footage or images are published.

Besides hosting a community of 50,000+ citizen reporters, Citizenside also licences out their platform, meaning any news organization can incorporate their whole image validation and management system hassle-free into their existing site. The package is called the Reporter Kit. (http://www.reporterkit.com)

Citizenside is part owned by the AFP and they have been working with the largest French news organizations from radio stations like RTL to free dailies like 20Minutes to develop sections of their websites specifically devoted to the images of their audiences.

Contributors retain the rights to their uploads, which are offered to clients around the world through AFP's ImageForum and Citizenside's own online press agency Editorside.

November 17, 2009 1:16 PM