Katie Couric, Tavis Smiley, Bob Woodward, Nicholas Kristof, and I Hit YouTube with Pointers for Citizen Journalists

How would you like to get some pointers from Katie Couric and Tavis Smiley on how to conduct a good interview, from Bob Woodward on doing in-depth investigative journalism in the digital age, from Mike Isikoff on digging deeper to break news, and from Nicholas Kristof on how to cover a global humanitarian crisis and not get shot?

This expert input is now just a click away, thanks to a cool new project being launched today by YouTube. The YouTube Reporters' Center aims to be a one-stop-shop for people looking to learn how to report on what's going on around them, offering over two dozen videos -- ranging from how to capture breaking news on your cell phone to the ins and outs of journalistic ethics.

"We want to deepen the conversation about the importance of citizen reporting in today's media landscape," Steve Grove, the head of news and politics at YouTube, told me. "We want to help media organizations begin to leverage the tremendous power of citizen journalists to contribute to their coverage, and to give citizen reporters new opportunities to improve their work and get it seen by more people. The YouTube Reporters' Center is a great place to get started."

Citizen journalism is rapidly emerging as an invaluable part of delivering the news. With the expansion of the web and the ever-decreasing size and cost of camera phones and video cameras, the ability to commit acts of journalism is spreading to everyone.

Nothing has demonstrated the power of citizen journalism better than the recent uprising in Iran. People tweeting from demonstrations and uploading video of brutal violence taken with their camera phones have been able to tell a story, in real-time, and circumvent the efforts of the regime to control the media and the flow of information.

At HuffPost, we see citizen journalism as an integral part of what we do -- and, via Eyes and Ears, our citizen journalism community, we're harnessing the wisdom of the crowd to tackle stories too big for one reporter, attend events traditional journalists have been kept from (or have overlooked), and to find and highlight the small but evocative story happening right next door.

That's why I was delighted to accept YouTube's invitation to do a video offering my "big picture" take on citizen journalism. Here it is (thanks to HuffPost Editor Roy Sekoff, Eyes and Ears Editor Matthew Palevsky, and Robert Greenwald and the team at Brave News Films Studio for all their help in putting it together).

As I say in the video: anyone can become a citizen journalist. All you need is passion, a little training, and a desire to tell a good story. And we'd love you to become part of HuffPost's Eyes and Ears community.

Over the last few months, hundreds of Eyes and Ears contributors have combed through President Obama's stimulus package, flagging unreported line-items, which our HuffPost reporters wrote stories about. In April, 2,500 Eyes and Ears reporters signed up to tackle the Tax Day Tea Parties. Thanks to them we were able to convey the full spectrum of protest activity that took place at over 1,000 locations. And we currently have hundreds of Eyes and Ears contributors ready to track key members of the House as they move forward on -- or stand in the way of -- passing health care reform.

Eyes and Ears also encourages participation from individuals who have a unique perspective on breaking news. For example, as part of our Spotlight on Pakistan, we feature on-the-ground reports from the conflict in the Northwest Frontier Provinces and the struggle of millions of internally displaced people. But these reports don't only come from abroad. Dawn Teo, one of our star citizen journalists, regularly breaks stories from Arizona, including her reporting on Arizona State University's refusal to give President Obama an honorary degree when he delivered the commencement address at the school in May.

Plus, we are always looking for tips or someone capturing breaking news, like the great video we received from a reader when Air Force One made its ill-advised low fly-over of Manhattan.

Click here to sign up to become part of our Eyes and Ears team.

And be sure to check out all the videos at the YouTube Reporters' Center.

It's time to get out there and report.

Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff

Comments

[Star2000dancer]

I came on here to learn about blogging. I've larned alot, but need to learn more. What a great mentor I chose, I never realised how much I had to learn. And how much more I need to learn. I am so glad they chose you to help us, thank you.

[lazercat2008]

Hey, this is what happens when Journalists find themselves locked out of their chosen field by corporate ownership of news outlets.

[gypsy508]

Citizen journalism is just another name for someone talking about what's going on in the world at the coffee shop except they write it, don't get paid and aren't interrupted.

[ntmessage]

Innovation and new ideas are as refreshing as are the tools to implement them essential. Innovation is the touchstone as we embark upon the process of deciphering an intersection of monumental challenge and what is possible for the next century. Expertise to enable a new generation of reporting is a striking illustration.

The hallmark of change and innovation is continuous improvement and retiring of ideas that have had their time, do not do what is expected or do not advance the goals of the people.

So lets celebrate with action, to illuminate the world as opposed to the incessant doctrines and axis of evil pablum.

[dieselis]

ms. huffington you still look fantastic.

[Mecheng]

As a newly crowned citizen journalist, here is my first question--what did John Conyers know and when did he know it.?

[El Bartolo]

Ms. Huffington is right about citizen journalism: the miracle of modern technology has created a golden opportunity for sharing information on a huge scale. The tragedy is that it is so desperately needed. Professional journalists have essentially sold their souls to the devil, or to his corporate representatives. The proof of the pudding is their endless coverage of pop star Michael Jackson: his life, his death, his will, his children, his childhood (or lack of it), his dance steps, his plastic surgery missteps. In the middle of two wars and a crippling recession, this kind of reporting only serves as a distraction.

Indeed, let's give the citizen journalists a shot.

[LMPE]

Had citizen journalism existed during the Spanish Inquisition, no telling what sorts of vile things we would have heard from the monarchy and church.

[liberty68]

Just what advances have we made in Iraq that Cheney says we'll lose? Before his 'Shock and Awe", Iraqis had running water, food, dependable electricity, a roof over their head, intact cities rather than crumbled buildings, access to needed medicine, doctors, hospitals, and much more. Not the least of which is all of their limbs, and probably hundreds of thousands of their now war dead loved ones.

[Mikeeee]

Agreed. It must be galling to them to be lectured on how they have to step up after their country was devastated.

[Johnowen]

Just saw you on the BBC, Arianna. How did you think Jeremy Paxtons interview with ypu and our politicians compared to the likes of Billo?

[Hare]

I hope to see and hear about "news' all over and of all sort, those things we don't hear or see much. I am so tired of same old characters and same old news (life of entertainers and so forth) that have no bearing on the life of most citizens.
Faithful reader and Spectator of citizent journalists.

[liberty68]

Yeah, like the obsession over the last few days over Michael Jackson. Honduras had a military coup, we're pulling our troops out of Iraq cities, a health bill needs to develop, yet station I turn to has a Michael Jackson special. Hellooo! There's a lot more going on in the world to inform people about in the same degree of detai.

[rojac6]

Ms. Huffington,

With all due respect-- you must be joking. Katie "Navy Seals rock!" Couric and Bob "I publicly criticized the Plame investigation while concealing my own connections to it" Woodward are going to teach me about digital journalism? You have it the wrong way around. The groundbreaking journalism we're seeing today is a direct response to the lame and corrupt corporate jingoism that we've been subjected to for decades. Now the corporations want to put that genie back in the bottle or at least hitch it to a plow and make it sweat for them. Not gonna happen.

"We want to help media organizations begin to leverage the tremendous power of citizen journalists to contribute to their coverage..." Great-- and what are these media organizations going to do for me? Say, for instance, that I (scrappy 'citizen' journalist that I am) snap an amazing shot of a protester in Tehran. I understand how major media organizations (GE/Westin­ghouse/VIA­COM/Time-W­arner/Disn­ey) will benefit from my work (he says leverage, I hear capitalize)... but what do I get out of the deal? Democratic ideals are certainly admirable, but they don't help pay my mortgage.

Would it be possible for you to take a moment and address this issue? I think it's important and needs to be discussed.

Many thanks-- RJ

[uneeda]

got that right......

[andolphin]

I say, bravo Ms. Huffington. What an inspiring video.

BUT - a sea change like this needs to be watched carefully. We need to encourage citizen journalism, but we can't allow the flow of traditional journalism to dry up.

[TheEmptinessOfTruthiness]

Sure we can! Bye Bye Bush/neocon enabling traditional journalism!!

[JudiBug]

Fantastic!!! Power to the people.

[Mike Barden]

is it gonna be as acurrate as Wikipedia?

[neoprimordial]

User "lastams" mentioned Chris Hedges commentary on Truthdig.com. I like Hedges, but I'm leery when someone goes on about the sky about to fall--as he says, "our last opportunity to save our embattled democracy." I do believe that one of, if not the most, important struggle we can engage in today as American citizens is to wrest control back from the ever-powerful multinational corporations. They do control the conversations because they control the "organs of communication." As it stands, the one practical and effective weapon we citizens have is our voice; individually, as Arianna illustrated in her video, and collectively, in the way of mass protests and grassroots movements. Unfortunately, the opposition knows this, and they bring all their influence to bear in undermining and/or destroying our voice.

We need to realize that the corporate world can never be ultimately triumphant if we do not concede/consent to it. It's a counterintuitive notion, but the idea is basically that we consent to whatever is going on, whether it's in our interests or not, and if we refuse to consent to their domination, they cannot dominate us. The sky falls when we consent to it.