FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 21, 2010
Today's news is delivered on YouTube by mainstream media and consumers like you
Readers can interact with and contribute to newspapers more than ever. Find an example of user-generated content.
Point out something else in the print newspaper or online edition that likely wasn't part of daily journalism when your teacher or parents were in school.
Discuss differences between professional journalists and citizen journalists. Do you rely on a single information source?
YouTube offers much more than stunts, songs and silliness. A lot of news also is reported or repeated there every day. To help users find breaking news videos, YouTube is working with the University of California-Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism to develop a News Feed feature on its CitizenTube.com site. Three journalism students and graduates from Berkeley are working at YouTube on the project this summer, the company announced last week.
As part of the new focus, YouTube will work with media organizations to expand their presence online and also will feature videos from citizen journalists. This development is another reminder that anyone with a camera is a potential reporter, as Congressman Bob Etheridge, D-N.C., learned the hard way recently when he grabbed a student who approached him on a sidewalk to ask about his support for the Obama administration. He later apologized for the widely viewed incident.
The Gulf of Mexico oil leak provides other examples of citizen involvement in news reports. Thousands of Americans this month submitted ideas on YouTube about how to clean up the spill, several of which were aired during the PBS NewsHour. And 15 minutes after a televised presidential address about the situation last week, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs responded to citizen questions submitted at youtube.com/whitehouse. (See invitation video below.)
YouTube executive says: "This summer you'll see us increasing our [news] focus significantly. . . . Our goal with this news feed is to learn more about the news ecosystem on YouTube -- and who better to teach us than people like you." -- Steve Grove, head of news and politics
Columnist says: "In many cases, newspaper and TV journalism has been replaced by multiplayer analysis of online video." -- Virginia Heffernan, New York Times
Media adviser says: "Newspapers are finding new ways to distribute their content online, creating a better user experience in the process." -- Kevin Goldberg, attorney at telecommunications law firm in Washington, D.C.
Front Page Talking Points Archive
Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.
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