YouTube connects citizen journalists with media outlets

YouTube has launched a new citizen journalism tool called YouTube Direct, allowing large media organizations to connect with citizen reporters and giving them access to a wider audience.

According to the official YouTube blog, Steve Grove, the site's News and Politics editor said, "As YouTube has become a global platform for sharing the news, media organizations have been looking for a good way to connect directly with citizen reporters on our site so they can broadcast this footage and bring it to a larger audience." Mr. Grove said, “That's why we created YouTube Direct, a new tool that allows media organisations to request, review and rebroadcast YouTube clips directly from YouTube users.” Submitted videos will remain live on the owner's own YouTube channel "so users can reach their own audience while also getting broader exposure and editorial validation for the videos they create," YouTube said. Although YouTube Direct was built with news organizations in mind, it is a tool that could be used by businesses as well. "Businesses can use YouTube Direct to solicit promotional videos, non-profits can use the application to call-out for support videos around social campaigns and politicians can use the platform to ask for user-generated political commercials. The opportunities to use the tool are as broad as the media spectrum itself," said Mr. Grove in the YouTube blog. YouTube Direct is now up and running, and is already being used by such media companies as Huffington Post, Washington Post, ABC News, Politico and many others.