Business

Crack journalism is coming to the land of cat and Justin Bieber videos: YouTube is helping to launch a new channel with the Center for Investigative Journalism (CIR). The new “I Files” channel will curate videos from sources such as The New York Times and Al Jazeera, in a attempt to bring some much needed attention to the fledgling investigative journalism space and bolster YouTube’s multi-million dollar foray into professional content. An $800,000 grant from the Knight foundation is seeding the channel, which will share revenue with its content partners. To justify the partnership with a website normally associated with skateboarding dogs, the I Files team cites recent evidence that user-generated content on YouTube is a growing source of serious news for the average citizen. “That’s our assignment at The I Files,” writes Stephen Talbot of the Bay Citizen, “to be timely and relevant, to provide an outlet for a citizen journalist who captures an incredible moment on camera, but abov...

Mike Butcher is the European Editor for TechCrunch. A former grunge rock drummer, he became a long time journalist, and has since written for UK national newspapers and magazines including The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Times, The Daily Telegraph and The New Statesman. Mike is also a co-founder and shareholder of TechHub, a co-working space/service/community with several locations... ? Learn More Well, we knew that Olympic organizers were likely to be tough on unauthorized content, especially after issuing regulations around social media prior to the Games. And evidence of that is surfacing today in the shape of deleted videos on YouTube. Search for scenes from the spectacular opening ceremony in London and while you will find excerpts from official broadcasters like the BBC, videos uploaded by ordinary users are being gradually being stamped out. Viewing one example video here Returned the phrase: “James Bond (Daniel Craig) E…” This video is no longer available due to a copy...

Mike Butcher is the European Editor for TechCrunch. A former grunge rock drummer, he became a long time journalist, and has since written for UK national newspapers and magazines including The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Times, The Daily Telegraph and The New Statesman. Mike is also a co-founder and shareholder of TechHub, a co-working space/service/community with several locations... ? Learn More With Apple rumoured to be developing a full-blown TV and connected TVs gradually taking off, it looks like video channels independent of the TV industry could have a bright future. And niche content with global audiences could become attractive. To that end, BalconyTV, a quirky but popular YouTube channel and site which features up-and-coming music acts performing literally on balconies and rooftops, has taken off. Today it’s attracted its first institutional funding of $750,000 from Polaris Venture Partners, Lerer Ventures and Greycroft Partners. Former MTV Networks CEO Judy McGrath...