YouTube has just rolled out the YouTube Direct, a channel dedicated to citizen journalism. The said channel is designed to more efficiently connect news organizations with user-generated video content.The channel has been used by a number of media companies such as the Washington Post and The Huffington Post since it went live recently. YouTube has become a global platform for news sharing and over time, media organizations are also looking for a better way to directly connect with citizen reporters on the site so they can broadcast footage to a larger audience, writes News and Politics Editor Steve Grove on the YouTube blog.This is precisely why we created the YouTube Direct, he adds. This new tool is designed to enable media organizations to review, request and rebroadcast clips from YouTube directly from users.The channel was built from the YouTube APIs as an open source application so media outfits can enable customized versions of the upload platform into their own sites.Users will be able to upload their video clips directly into the application. This also allows the hosting organization to conveniently review the submissions and then select the ones suitable for broadcast on-air or on their websites.Grove added that YouTube Direct will also be aimed at companies and organizations, encouraging them to find and try using promotional videos produced by non-profit causes without using managed hosting. It also caters to non-profit organizations that are looking for user-generated political adverts. In essence, the new site is going to bridge the gap between the community and media organizations, helping the press obtain resources that they can use for their news programs.
