NPR pioneering news gathering tool “YouTube Direct”

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YouTube announced NPR is one of a handful of news organizations pioneering “YouTube Direct” – a new tool that allows news and media organizations to request, review and display video clips produced and submitted by YouTube users.


“YouTube Direct” is now embedded on NPR.org, where they can easily solicit user-generated video and feature the pieces their editors select. This has obvious implications for breaking and major news events, but NPR says it is just as interested in its possibilities for special and one-off projects and series. 

YouTube Direct enables the hosting organization to easily review video submissions and select the best ones to broadcast on-air and on their websites. These videos also live on YouTube, so users can reach their own audience while getting broader exposure and editorial validation for the videos they create.

Their first project focuses on science concepts. The WonderScope is an occasional science series that solicits original video, art, photography and animation related to a particular concept – and challenges users to “bring the abstract to life. Full details are available at: www.npr.org/wonderscope

“People around the world are taking up cameras and covering news in ways big and small — from documenting global events, to filming local town halls in American neighborhoods,” said Steve Grove, head of news and politics at YouTube. “YouTube Direct empowers news and media organizations to easily connect with these citizen reporters, and use the power of our platform to cover the news better than ever before.”

YouTube Direct is already being used by the Huffington Post, NPR, Politico, the San Francisco Chronicle, and WHDH-TV/WLVI-TV in Boston.