Reuters and Yahoo! launch DIY reporting

Reuters and Yahoo! are inviting the public to contribute eyewitness accounts of news events, giving average Joes the opportunity to do some DIY reporting.

The online news contribution system, called 'You Witness News', will launch tomorrow and give users the opportunity to earn a crust by supplying their own photos and videos to Yahoo! News and other news channels.

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Budding reporters can submit their efforts to You Witness News via a link off the main page of Yahoo! News or on the Reuters You Witness News site.

Reuters will then select, edit and distribute the photos and videos to Yahoo! News and other news outlets.

A spokesman from Reuters told silicon.com: "You Witness will simplify the way people who capture photos or video of breaking news get their images to Reuters, and if used by Reuters, to the worldwide news media at large."

Reuters and Yahoo! are currently working out a plan to compensate contributors when their images are selected for commercial syndication but it is "still early in the process," said the spokesman.

While focusing initially on news, You Witness News will expand to include user contributions for sports, entertainment and other sections of its site, according to Reuters.

CNN launched a news user-generated page called CNN exchange earlier this year, although it does not pay contributors for sharing news, photos and videos.