Guardian invites readers to become journalists via new ‘Witness’ app and website

Guardian News and Media today opened a new platform allowing readers to contribute text, videos and pictures to its website.

GuardianWitness, which has been launched in partnership with mobile phone network EE, is encouraging people from around the world to contribute story ideas and content. The new platform is available as an app for iPhones and Android mobiles as well as a website.

The platform will also set readers assignments for certain weeks, which will take the form of “exclusive competitions”.

Selected submissions will feature on the website and/or in The Guardian and Observer newspapers. Videos will feature on the GuardianWitness YouTube channel.

Guardian social and communities editor Joanna Geary said:

“At The Guardian we have a long history of getting our readers involved in our journalism.

“In the last few years alone our readers have helped us to review MPs’ expenses documents, follow the UK riots, gain real-time insights into the Arab Spring as events in the Middle East unfolded and challenge the government's employment schemes.

"GuardianWitness will further reinforce our recognition that journalism is now a two-way conversation and will open up our site as we never have before.

“Not only will this make it even easier for our readers to get involved in our journalism and form both local and global communities of joint interest, it will also provide our journalists with a fantastic new tool, providing them with insights and views that we perhaps don’t yet have access to.

"We can’t wait to see how the platform grows and develops in the coming months and look forward to sharing some of the best contributions with our global audience.”