Press Association strikes deal with citizen journalism site

UK-based news agency the Press Association (PA) announced today that they have agreed to a "landmark deal" with the citizen journalism site Demotix.

The new agreement will cover distribution rights in the UK and Ireland, according to the press release. The deal is the first time that Press Association Images have used citizen generated photography. Information on how much the PA will earn from the final fee for an image has not been disclosed. In an email, Turi Munthe, CEO of Demotix, told me that the deal would give them "access to markets we would otherwise find very hard to reach: local media, magazines and other publishers across the UK and Ireland with whom PA has long-standing relationships." Martin Stephens, Managing Director of Press Association Images, said: “Press Association Images is delighted to be working with Demotix, who share our passion for delivering quality news photography. We pride ourselves on providing customers with the very best photography from around the world, using our own staff photographers and partners which include many major news organisations. We are excited to be working with user-generated photographs for the first time, and believe these images will not only add a unique and personal perspective to our 100 year old archive, but provide our customers with a new angle on world news.” Contributors to Demotix,which was established 2 years ago, can add their news pictures or videos and then the site acts as a broker to sell the content to media outlets. They state on their website that non-exclusive rights for pictures can sell for between $50 and $3,000, exclusive rights can go for considerably more. Demotix also accept news stories and has over 17,000 members. According to the information on the website they "have licensed stories to literally 100s of sites and news organisations around the globe" including AP and Reuters. The site broker the work of its citizen journalists to over 200 news organisations including the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal, the final fee is split equally with the contributor. The deal with the PA follows not long after Demotix announced a partnership with blog site Global Voices. Commenting on future plans for Demotix, Turi Munthe told me: "Long term, Demotix seeks to become the go-to platform for news-makers all over the world and in all media: images, video, audio, text, 2-way, etc... As well as the go-to marketplace for news buyers. Long time, Demotix seeks to become the interface between news makers and publishers the world over. "