NowPublic Identifies 2008's Top 10 Moments in User-Generated News
From Mumbai to the US Presidential Race, Crowd-Powered Media Comes of Age in 2008
VANCOUVER, British Columbia and NEW YORK/PRNewswire/ -- NowPublic (http://www.nowpublic.com/),
the world's largest participatory news network, today unveiled "2008: A
Year in User-Generated News," its identification of 2008's 10 most
important moments in crowd-powered media (http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/2008-year-user-generated-news).
"2008: A Year in User-Generated News" serves as a snapshot and analysis
of the seismic shift in the ways we use to gather, share and consume
news and information.
"2008 not only proved the concept of user-generated news, but also
tipped the scales," said Leonard Brody, co-founder and CEO of
NowPublic. "The pillars of mainstream media, including the Associated
Press, BBC, CBS and CNN have all made significant efforts to embrace
the new model. The culmination of this, of course, was Columbia
University's recent announcement that the Pulitzers will now include
'Internet-only' news."
"In today's highly wired and mobile world, everyone has a digital
soapbox," said Rachel Nixon, global news director for NowPublic. "No
longer the preserve of a few, crowd-powered media formats began to be
widely used by anyone wanting to get their message out and connect.
Concerned communities used a variety of platforms to share emergency
information about natural disasters. And activists used these tools to
circumvent - and pre-empt - official information sources, helping to
change the direction of protests, or getting information out when
authorities were slow to provide it."
Chosen by NowPublic editors, these are the 10 most important moments of the year in user-generated news:
1. Mumbai Attacks
(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/1-mumbai-attacks-2008-review)
2. Natural disasters: Sharing Emergency Information
(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/2-natural-disasters-sharing-emergency-in formation-2008-review)
3. Olympic Torch Relay Protests in San Francisco
(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/3-olympic-torch-relay-protests-san-franc isco-2008-review)
4. Obama and "Bittergate"
(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/4-obama-and-bittergate-2008-review)
5. Republican Convention Protests Change Tack
(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/5-republican-convention-protests-change- tack-2008-review)
6. Ushahidi: Crowdsourcing Crisis Information in Africa
(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/6-ushahidi-crowdsourcing-crisis-informat ion-2008-review)
7. CNN's News Wire Plans
(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/7-cnn-news-wire-plans-2008-review)
8. Mob Rule: Mark Zuckerberg's SXSW Interview
(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/8-mob-rule-mark-zuckerberg-s-sxsw-interv iew-2008-review)
9. Twitter Gets US student Out of Egyptian Jail
(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/9-twitter-gets-student-out-egyptian-jail -2008-review)
10. False Report About Steve Jobs Heart Attack
(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/10-false-report-steve-jobs-heart-attack- 2008-review)
About NowPublic
NowPublic is a crowd-sourced, participatory news network that
mobilizes an army of reporters to cover the events that define our
world. In its short history, the company has become the largest news
organization of its kind with contributing reporters in more than 5,500
cities and 160 countries. The Guardian has named NowPublic one of the
top five most useful news sites on the Web and Time Magazine named it
one of the Top 50 Websites for 2007. The company has received funding
from Rho Ventures, Rho Canada, Brightspark, GrowthWorks and members of
the New York Angels.
Contact
For NowPublic:
Chris Macowski
The Morris + King Company
212-561-7459
chris.macowski@morris-king.com
Source: NowPublic
CONTACT: Chris Macowski, The Morris + King Company, +1-212-561-7459,
chris.macowski@morris-king.com, for NowPublic
Web Site:
http://www.nowpublic.com/
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