Blottr to launch citizen journalism syndication network

Citizen journalism site Blottr today announced the planned launch of a content syndication network, which will enable subscriber news outlets to access Blottr content an hour before it goes out to others.

The network, called NewsPoint, "provides global news content to publishers and news organisations around the world, captured and reported in real-time by those witnessing the event at the scene", according to a release.

"Content is generated through the Blottr contributor network and authenticated by a combination of sophisticated verification algorithms and professional human moderation."

Last year Blottr launched NewsPoint as a way for external publishers to use the Blottr technology to build their own community of contributors. Now this has been developed into the NewsPoint content syndication network being launched this week.

Blottr founder Adam Baker told Journalism.co.uk that the move to content syndication was prompted by feedback from news outlets.

He added that the "things that really interest them" include its authentication processes and the ability to "tap into our contributor network".

"What all that boils down to is that our content is really valuable, lots of companies are talking to us, about 'well how can we get your content?', and so we just thought well if that's our biggest asset then why not try and make that available."

The categories of content available for subscription have been broken down into Middle East, global and breaking news, with news outlets able to subscribe to one, two or all three. Subscriptions can also be for three months, six months or a year.

Blottr's "vision" is to try and "get as much exposure for citizen journalism, people-powered news ... as we possibly can".

"Our content is something that a lot of news companies want, they've told us that, we want to get exposure for the kind of work we're doing as broadly as we can and actually by having it published on some of the world's biggest websites, that can only help."

He said news outlets which subscribe to the network will have access to both its past content and the latest material as it breaks, with subscribers gaining access to breaking news "an hour before anybody else".

"It's not a feed, it's not a newswire as such where we send content to them, they can come to us and they can take content and download it whenever they want to."

He added that Blottr is also taking on commissions from news outlets focused on particular topics. "And then they own that exclusively, it won't go into our network," Baker added.

The site will also "incentivise our contributors for content that goes into our network".

"So not all content is going to go into our network, a lot of it will go into Blottr and that's free to consume as it always has been. But the most valuable, compelling content, will go into the network because that's the most interesting for us, for our subscribers."

The platform will launch tomorrow (Wednesday, 10 October), with two news outlets already signed up, although no more detail on which outlets those launch partners are was available at the time of writing.

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