YouTube encourages 'citizen journalism'
YouTube encourages 'citizen journalism'
By Brian Palmer (Mon, 29th June 2009)
Online video sharing website YouTube is encouraging broadband users to learn the ropes of journalism and contribute to the growing number of people who now share their take on current events with others.
A spokeswoman for the Google-owned portal said the general public is becoming increasingly involved in how the news is reported and explained that with mobile technology, this is becoming even easier.
Olivia Ma, from the site's news and politics department, said reporting on natural disasters, community issues, political protests and conducting interviews are just some of the ways in which citizens are getting more involved with journalism.
For this reason, it has set up the YouTube Reporters' Centre, which provides advice and support from a number of world-famous writers like CBS News' Katie Couric and the Washington Post's Bob Woodward.
In addition, Arianna Huffington discusses why citizens should participate in the news-gathering process and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof advises on how best to "report from a crisis area without getting shot".
"You can also learn practical and ethical tips, like how to fact check your stories, avoid breaking the law while reporting and adhere to journalistic principles," Ms Ma added.
Also this week, Nielsen Online published a report entitled The Iran Election and Social Media: The New News Revolution, in which it detailed the latest "watershed moment in the ongoing evolution of news and media", which saw public sites like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook used to report the latest developments in the country.
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