YouTube Investigative

If we ever needed any more proof that online journalism has truly affirmed its position as a legitimate news platform than look no further than You Tube’s newest initiative and project. 

Finally, in response to the fall in quality investigative reporting, You Tube has approached the CIR (Centre for Investigative Reporting), a not-for-profit organisation based out of Berkley, California.

The organisation compiles thorough and revealing investigative reports and sells it to news outlets all around America. You Tube has sought out the CIR to compile stories and relevant material for its new platform to be named “YouTube Investigative.”

The channel is set to up the anti in the world of online videos and data - YouTube being an  outlet that is widely known for spoof videos and the internets ‘funniest home videos.’

YouTube has taken the form of a groundbreaking platform for citizen journalist who are often capturing important footage before reporters. As we reach the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, you don’t have to go much further than Youtube to see some of the most haunting and surreal videos, filmed by civilians as the attacks were taking place. 

YouTube Investigative, in collaboration with CIR is set to add a credible and technologically advanced improvement to online news and reporting. This comes in response to the decline of in-depth reporting at traditional news outlets, according to ABC News.

Host to 35 staff already, the CIR churns out roughly this number of in-depth multimedia reports, focussing on injustice and a relevance to the wider public. 

Though nothing has been set in stone as of yet. 


The new channel will most likely consist of investigative journalism, fueled by the addition of crowd-sourcing and open multimedia contribution, which of course YouTube already employs. 

Executive Director of CIR Robert Rosenthal commented on the expansion of the online news realm. 

“As newsrooms cut staff and budgets, social media and new models of news gathering such as CIR are stepping in,” He said. 

Facebook has made a similar, (yet not really comparable) move towards bettering the online world of news and information and creating a dedicated service for journalists.

It’s general goal is to enable journalists to utilize Facebook as a means of research, linking users to relevant news and media sites and to access the growing Facebook demographic as tools and sources. 

Buzzom.com points out the shift as a wider attempt to generate advertising and revenue. How do you feel about journalists being able to access your details and information as a means of research?

Personally, I’m battling a slight conflict of interest over the whole idea, as someone very pro online news and research, yet intent on keeping all my private information exactly that. Private. 

Overall, the CIR/YouTube collaboration sounds like a very positive move towards the integration of citizen journalism and online news. I would be very happy to access a source that people can openly contribute to, monitored and guided by credible journalists who strive to inform the wider public. 

Fingers crossed the channel is erected asap  - I know I will be following it’s progress very closely.

Some mainstream and alternative online news sources. 

There are so many news sources that have moved to the online platform over the last 5 or so years. Wether it be on the morning commute on your phone or travelling with your ipad - the ease of access that modern technology offers has prompted the move.

Journalism.co.uk is a UK Online news site that I frequent. Not all the content is relevant to Australian's, however it offers a lot of information about journalists, the media and all things related to the industry. 


News.com.au is a fail-safe Aussie site which will guarantee you all the most topical stories of the week and day from a god variety of different stories.


Both are similar in style and layout - One being a UK and the other an Australian site. Both are acceptable go-to online news sources. With very condensed layouts that are surprisingly easy and aesthetically pleasing, the two platforms deliver that which they promise to - Breaking and daily news. 

Advertising is an obvious feature on both sites,  and would no doubt be one of the main generators of profit. 

Journalism.co.uk goes further than just news. It is also a website for writers, photographers and business people. There are many examples of crowd-sourcing - a job seek link, a forum calling for comments and an outlet to advertise your own freelance journalism. 

The Huffington Post  is a more left-wing news site that incorporates bloggers and other social commentators. 

There are links to other stories down the sides, though most are written from a slightly different point of view than would be found in the mainstream newspapers. 

The site navigates like a newspaper with a huge, lead story that takes up the majority of the front page on the biggest story of the day.

Crikey.com

I don't have a subscription to Crikey. It does cost money to be a member of - I only just realised that this one has been around for quite some time, and yes, it costs to get your news from Crikey. The website has a steady online circulation and is an independent, Australian publication. 

The site offers a free, 21 day trial during which the user will receive selected articles and independent journalism. The idea is that they will secure a paid audience after offering the 21 day subscription. 

From what I have read on Crikey the quality of journalism is high however some pieces are highly opinionated. It is after-all  an alternative news site. 

SEO - Search Engine Optimisation

Apple, Robert Patterson, Sex

According to Google Trends, I should now have your attention. Or at least for today.  These are words from the top three most searched topics on google all thanks to SEO. (Search Engine Optimisation)

SEO is definited by our good friend Wikipedia as;
The process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the "natural" or un-paid ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results.

The concept is simple. Create a headline that will attract the largest amount of readers, surfers and browsers according to what shows up first in the search bar. 

But unfortunately, in terms of journalism, the conept is indeed flawed.  

Why?

Argued is the idea that unecessary emphasis on SEO is taking priority over the quality of the content. Online newspapers and organisations are trending towards tabloid and spoof journalism in order to pull the greatest number of readers. 

SEO is a multi-billion dollar industry and in a struggling financial environment, online news platforms are latching on to one of the only ways to generate revenue and sustainibility.  Google being the largest and most widely used search engine is playing a huge part in what editors use as their headlines and indeed what stories they publish at all. 

There is nothing you can do about how many people are searching. But you can do something about the factors that Google takes account of in deciding the order of its results. 

So does this mean will see the quality of online journalism continue to decline? This article from ABC highlighted the role journalists must play to ensure the prosperity of their news organisation.

Conveniently, in a quick blogger search, I came across an insightful blogger, who devotes his work to SEO and all things journalism. Flicking through his work I came across this page, which offered some interesting hints and tips for good SEO

'Out with circulation staff, in with SEO' is an interesting summary of the current move to online news and to nabbing those online readers. 

Lets just hope that we can continue to find newsworthy articles online from our favourite online journalists.

How many SEO specialists does it take to change a lightbulb, light_bulb, light-bulb, light.bulb, light bulb?

Speed V Accuracy

Something that has been ingrained in us since we began down this winding, bumpy road that is the ‘journalism degree’ is that with great speed must come great accuracy.

 

No one, I repeat, NO ONE wants yesterday’s news on today news-site. Neither do they want today’s news reported incorrectly. So as the online world of news and information rapidly expands, at what cost is the need for the fastest and most up to date news post having on the quality and readability of online journalism? 

There is no doubt within the heavily saturated news environment that the web is, that there will always be conflicting stories and bogus scandals, something that I have previously discussed. However, with the same stations, sites and blogs covering the same stories, the need for speed and the hottest grabs to secure readers are pertinent. 

Take the recent ‘Choppergate’ scandal to rock the Channel 9 news team. In an embarrassing turn of events for the station, it was revealed that two live crosses regarding the Daniel Morcombe case were faked, the chopper being some 90 kilometers away from where they claimed it was when on air. Three staff were sacked following the incident, and the most senior editor in Queensland resigned after the scandal broke. Obviously, the loss of their jobs has severely shaken the three junior staff, whose future careers may have been brought to a premature end all thanks to the need for one sensational news story.  Choppergate journos seek legal advice

Clearly more than just healthy competition, news organisations may be going to extreme and even unethical lengths to secure the news story first, disregarding the need for accuracy and integrity. 

Rival news station Channel 7 were quick to point out the flaws in the news broadcast, reporter Peter Doherty bringing about first concerns over the story. Similarly, reports regarding a decline in viewers who have lost trust in the network can be read here . 

It is after all a dog eat dog world when it comes to modern news and rivals will always be quick to point out your blunders.

Unfortunately in regards to ‘Choppergate’, the need for a quick fix outweighed the need for an accurate story. Certainly this case proves that it was not worth the risk and further demonstrates to us why accuracy is JUST AS IMPORTANT as speed. (Maybe even more so...?)  

Moving at the Speed of Creativity

Wesley Fryer, on her web-blog Moving at the Speed of Creativity summed up the empowerment of online tool for journalism in a post titled "Empowering Citizen Journalists"

Taken from Wesley Fryer's page

She mentions on her page above the online community Global Voices Online. Which prompted me to look further into it. 

Global Voices Online is a community of over 500 bloggers and translators all around the world. 


Their collaborations bring you reports from blogs and citizen media, with emphasis on human rights and voices that are not ordinarily heard in international, mainstream media. 


The group has a strong focus on connectivity all around the world - something innovations in the internet and blogging are helping to increase. 

Global Voices, which also has a dedicated blog, is a fantastic example of how information and media gathered and presented by a citizen journalist can have a positive influence on world-scale issues such as politics and culture.


The group has a number of different projects, two of which include -


Global Voices Advocacy - campaigning for free speech online.


Rising Voices - empowering minority groups to have a voice online and educating them on how to use technology. They are also working to integrate the technology in the less fortunate communities.