Video news channels are online outlets that publish breaking-news videos for journalists to use in television and radio news broadcasts. These channels often provide a mix of “overlay” and “grabs.” The overlays are usually short segments that show the context or background of a story, while the grabs contain short, news-friendly interview answers from key spokespeople.
About half of the 377 popular YouTube news channels we studied are affiliated with a news organization, such as a TV station or a nationally recognized media outlet. They may be the official channel of a news outlet, a channel focused on a particular program or show from that news outlet, or a channel featuring associated journalists or anchors.
We found that these news organizations typically publish fewer videos than independent channels, and their average video is shorter. However, they are more likely to publish videos about domestic issues like gun control and abortion, or criticism of the news media or conspiracy theories such as QAnon. They also tend to be more serious in tone than independent channels, which are more likely to post videos with a broader range of topics including celebrity gossip and the latest on Rob Ford’s arrest.
Video can be a powerful tool to reach large audiences, but it can also be prone to misinterpretation or misrepresentation. As a result, journalists must develop robust verification protocols and guidelines to help them assess whether a video is authentic. This can include cross-referencing, analyzing metadata and confirming geolocation data.