Google Wants Citizen Journalists and Professional Media Organizations to Upload More & Better Videos to YouTube
This morning, Google's YouTube opened up its Reporters' Center - a new hub for teaching citizen journalists to become better reporters by teaching them about how to prepare for interviews, be better investigative reporters, and how to help media organizations in the news-gathering process. Interestingly, at the same time as YouTube is trying to help citizen journalists, Google is also encouraging professional media organizations to join the YouTube Partner Program and upload more videos to YouTube that can then be featured on Google News.
Google argues that by joining this program, news organizations will be able to reach a wider audience, cut hosting costs, and be able to interact with YouTube's large (and often highly vocal) user base.
Playing Both Sides
It is interesting to see how Google and YouTube are courting both 'amateur' reporters (in the best sense of the word) and large media organizations at the same time. Google is clearly looking to strengthen YouTube's position as a hub for news content - and given how the news market is in flux today, it is smartly trying to encourage both pros and citizen journalists to use its site as their default repository for their video content. The core reason for Google to encourage citizen journalists to shoot better and more compelling video, and for courting bigger media organizations, however, is that it is simply easier to sell advertising against professionally produced content.
Of course, as PaidContent pointed out earlier this morning, news organizations and Google News don't exactly have the most friendly relationship. Now that Google News features YouTube videos more prominently on the site, news organizations could potentially profit from this arrangement even though many larger organizations already use white-label video services and sell their own ads against their video content.
Good Content
Looking at the Reporters' Center, by the way, it is nice to see that the quality of the content there is generally very high, and any aspiring journalist can learn quite a lot from the videos that are currently posted on the site.
Share
Facebook
Comments
Subscribe to comments for this post OR Subscribe to comments for all ReadWriteWeb posts
Every day, a new social media platform is coming full circle as part-time, volunteer and citizen journalists emerge. They’re gaining momentum in the media community and changing the way news is reported and delivered, as well as how community members view the world around them. It is difficult to think of a reason against citizen journalism. Professional journalists on occasion put themselves in dangerous situations to cover a story. Why should it be any different for a citizen journalist willing to assume the risk to do the same? Being paid to cover a story does not give a person special privilege to assume risk. Some may argue that a citizen journalist is more likely to put others in jeopardy when covering a dangerous situation. Journalists work under pressure to meet their deadlines and be first to produce their stories. Before publication or dissemination of news articles, news media organizations edit and proofread their reports several times. In doing this, they adhere to their organization's standards of accuracy, quality, and style. Many news organizations claim proud traditions of holding government officials and institutions accountable to the public, while media critics have raised questions about holding the press itself accountable. The BET Awards 2009 was set to be a celebratory event, but a few days before it aired the sudden passing of Michael Jackson stunned the world. Therefore, more videos of michael jaskosn where being uploaded.
And I'd like a pony.
Perhaps Google could start offering meaningful sums of money to produce the content they want.
A welcome move.