US regional newspaper publishing and local broadcasting group E.W. Scripps has invested $1.5 million in "virtual newsroom" startup Ebyline, the fledgling firm has announced.

Ebyline, which launched its website in September, allows news publishers to buy content from other publishers, hire freelance journalists, and syndicate their own content to other media outlets. Freelancers based in the US can use the service, which was founded by former LA Times executives Bill Momary and Allen Narcisse, to sell work and pitch ideas to news publishers.

The site requires freelancers to submit examples of paid freelance work recently published in an attempt to provide a higher quality news service and offers news organisations an automated payment system to help manage freelancers.

"Ebyline gives news publishers a way to streamline and simplify the distribution of content, allowing them to reinvest in their core business - quality content," says Mark Contreras, senior vice president of newspapers for Scripps, in a release announcing the deal on Monday.

The site has also partnered with non-profit journalism initiative ProPublica and US news sites Variety and MinnPost.