Turmoil in the Middle East and the Ascension of YouTube News, Olivia Ma has the Backstory

SAN BRUNO, Calif — With dramatic footage published today from violent demonstrations in Syria, YouTube is again displaying its role in giving the world a view of breaking news which is largely unseen by the cameras of mainstream news organizations.

Last week, we visited the headquarters of YouTube for an interview with Olivia Ma, manager of YouTube News.

She explains that mobile phone uploads have predominated the newsgathering and uploads in the Middle East. She speaks about the extraordinary efforts citizen journalists go to upload and share via satellite connections, proxy servers and other means. She also speaks about video from the Japan tsunami.

This is the first in a series of interviews with Ma.

Andy Plesser

By Andy Plesser on April 22, 2011 @beet_tv

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