Citizenside signs deal with first major news partner 20 Minutes

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There used to be something here that couldn't be migrated - please contact us at info@journalism.co.uk if you'd like to see this updated! Citizenside , the amateur video and photography site backed by Agence France-Presse (AFP), has launched a new community platform on the website of leading French newspaper 20 Minutes.

The deal, which will see 20minutes.fr using Citizenside's 'reporter kit' technology, is the cit-j site's first partnership with a 'traditional' news organisation.

Users will be able to submit newsworthy images and video clips to the site using the Vos Images platform and will receive an equal share of any sale fee or revenue generated, with Citizenside and 20minutes also getting a third each.

Citizenside is also working on a Google Android application and iPhone application for Vos Images, Matthieu Stefani, vice president of the site, told Journalism.co.uk.

"The idea is really to make people always alert and feel part of 20 Minutes. It's some kind of extension of the editorial team," said Stefani.

"It makes a lot of sense for a freesheet, because they obviously don't have an incredibly big editorial team and it really helps them to get some news they might not have."

Individuals who register for the Vos Images community will not automatically become Citizenside members, because they want to associate themselves particularly with that brand, he added.

This week has focused yet more attention on the site's members and the value of 'eyewitness' journalism, he added, as two Citizenside members in Mauritania provided some of the only images of the shooting of an American in the country.

Earlier this year, Citizenside announced it would be trialling sales of its members images through AFP's professional network .

The organisation is looking to develop this further with the launch later in the year of Editorside - a network where Citizenside clients can view and buy unpublished photos submitted by Citizenside members to other titles.

Citizenside is also in talks with a leading French radio station and French television broadcaster about use of its reporter's toolkit technology, said Stefani. It already counts French gossip magazine Voici amongst its partners.

But the cit-j site is actively looking to expand its client base outside of France, he confirmed.