YouTube Launches Citizen Journo Channel

A new YouTube service aims to make it easier for citizen journalists filming everything from celebrity antics to natural disasters to connect with news outlets. The YouTube Direct service allows news outlets to request, verify, and rebroadcast video from YouTube users. NPR, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Politico were among the news outlets on board as the service was unveiled today, Reuters reports.

"News organizations always want to verify the content they use," said YouTube's head of news. The service, he said, isn't about making money for YouTube or its users. "It's an incentive to upload great video, because of the recognition you'll get from legitimate news organizations," he said.