Associated Press teams up with web-streaming service Bambuser

The Associated Press has joined forces with web-streaming service Bambuser in a bid to capitalise on the rise in citizen journalism.

AP will be able to access and use Bambuser content it ‘vets, verifies and considers newsworthy”. As part of the arrangement AP also will explore the use of Bambuser’s live video platform as a newsgathering tool for AP journalists.

Bambuser – a free live video service that allows users to broadcast, watch and share live video through mobile phones and computers – said the agreement was a unique opportunity for its users to achieve ‘worldwide distribution and get recognized for their content with full credit”.

From this week AP will be able to access and use any content uploaded by Bambuser.

AP deputy director of international video Mark Davies said:

User generated content has become integral to covering breaking news, particularly where access is restricted.

As a global newsgathering organisation in more than 300 locations worldwide, AP has the expertise to verify it, and to add context via our own reporting.

Bambuser users have already provided AP with live feeds of fighting inside Syria. This agreement will allow us to share even more Bambuser news video with a worldwide audience, via more than 700 broadcast networks.

Bambuser executive chairman Hans Eriksson added:

Our cooperation with AP is significant to us and a natural step to take. For the first time, the work of any Bambuser user can be shared and acknowledged in potentially all major media outlets. This is a real breakthrough for content providers as they can contribute to the wider story with their unique footage.

The people with the best view of any breaking news event are citizens in the right place at the right time with a LIVE-broadcasting app. What we’ve seen lately is the increasing impact of user generated content contributing to the major media stories,” said Eriksson.