Citizen journalism site Blottr to supply video to NYT Syndicate

London-based citizen journalism site Blottr will share breaking news video content with the New York Times Syndicate, a service which offers access to content from a range of "renowned publications".

The arrangement will see Blottr sharing around five videos with the syndicate each day, according to a release from Blottr, with the content "produced exclusively" for that platform.

"Each video includes a brief textual summary of the video for context," the release adds, "and documentation tracing the verification process for that video".

Adam Baker, founder of Blottr, told Journalism.co.uk that his team will be responsible for "all the verification", and added that their inclusion in the syndicate "validates the work we're doing as a crowdsourced news service".

Blottr's wire-style service for news outlets is called NewsPoint, which is described as an "eyewitness content network", and gives access to verified content as well as the ability for newsroom clients to set 'assignments' for their own needs.

The video being supplied to the New York Times Syndicate by NewsPoint will consist of breaking news footage, as well as a "curated feed of the day's events" from across the world," Baker said.

Blottr has around 500,000 contributors worldwide, he explained, who not only "contribute content for us but also help us verify". He added that the service is now used by 220 newsrooms.

The content from NewsPoint can be found in the 'visual reporting' section of the New York Times Syndicate. This section was "expanded" this month, as Josephine Schmidt, editorial director of global content and strategy at the New York Times told Journalism.co.uk via email.

"The expanded services offer curated multimedia editorial environments, focusing on material that is curated into verticals or 'channels' dedicated to breaking news, lifestyle, ideas and trends or opinion/commentary," she said.

The "most prolific" and "influential" contributors to Blottr are paid for their work, Baker explained, with the decision based on whether their work is used by a newsroom and how reliable their content has proven to be in the past.

Contributors must be part of a "scheme" to qualify for payment, Baker added. Acceptance into the scheme is based on factors such as the volume of content and its credibility. Then, when their content is picked up by a newsroom, they receive a share of the revenues.

Therefore, if a contributor's content is used by a member of the New York Times Syndicate, the creator will receive payment, he said.

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