My recent post about PressReader got me thinking about how news is created and shared nowadays with online tools. Online portfolios, crowdsourcing, social media, and livestreaming are all new developments in how journalism is being presented.
CNN iReport
Through iReport, CNN allows anyone to upload news stories. Not all articles are fact-checked, but some are vetted by CNN editors (and marked). IReport is a community, and users who sign up can join groups, earn badges, favorite stories, share articles on Facebook, and follow other users. Writers can also sign up for specific assignments CNN editors are looking for. Sometimes, iReport stories are featured elsewhere on CNN. Readers of iReport also see stories tailored to them, based on location and interest.
According to the site: “One of the goals of CNN iReport is to expand the current definition of news. Please share the stories you think are newsworthy and participate in discussions you think are interesting. CNN’s producers will check out the most compelling, important and urgent stories, so we can verify the information and add them to CNN’s coverage.”
Contently
Contently was created in part to help freelance journalists have steady work. Users can create a portfolio on the site, which companies can see to help them decide who to work with when making new content for their brands.
According to the site: “At Contently, we’re devoting our lives to leveling the playing field for the hungry and talented creators and publishers out there. It’s a tough task, but every worthwhile thing is.”
Livestream
Livestream connects people with live events. Customers include The New York Times, Facebook, ESPN, SpaceX and Warner Bros, with videos streamed, archived, and categorized by local news, social media, music, sports, technology, animals, and past events.
Storyful
Billed as the world’s first social news agency, Storyful posts content 24/7 online. Storyful’s journalists contribute articles, videos/footage, and news alerts, which the site then channels into its Newswire service. The Newswire has multiple channels, including news, weather and viral. News organizations such as Reuters, The New York Times, BBC, ABC, ITN, and France 24 use the Newswire, which has over 70,000 archived stories, breaking news alerts, trend alerts that culls information from more than 600 Twitter lists, and a contact database.
