With the launch of YouTube Direct, YouTube is positioning itself as a key intermediary between the media and the public. YouTube Direct is described as “a new tool that allows media organizations to request, review and rebroadcast YouTube clips directly from YouTube users.” Or as Mashable put it, “YouTube is letting anyone launch their own iReport-type site.” Several news organisations are already using the service: ABC News, the Huffington Post,

A couple of days ago, the University of British Columbia campus was under lockdown following a threat against students in the Bio Sciences building. I was on campus at the time and, like others here, wanted to find out more. One of the best sources turned out to be not mainstream media, but the citizen media site, NowPublic.com. One of its contributors, ScienceDave, happened to be in the building at

CBC held a debate on the future of the future of news, ahead of the ONA conference in Toronto. This clip from NowPublic.com’s Len Brody gives a flavour of the discussion: The sound quality could be better. It was shot on a Nokia N95 and I was a few rows back from the podium