Ride-share drivers and other motorists will soon be able to try their hand at being a journalist through a new app that allows them to capture and share vision of breaking news stories to media companies.
NewsCar is the brainchild of veteran TV journalist Adam Walters (pictured above), which is set to launch this month with the backing of the union representing Uber drivers, according to Fairfax.
The app will allow TV networks to instantly establish the proximity of drivers to news events such as accidents and crime scenes.
Drivers can then capture and upload high-res footage of news events using NewsCar on their smartphones, with the networks instantly paying them in return.
Depending on the footage and the hours involved, Fairfax noted that non-professional users of NewsCar can expect to make about $200, while the start-up app is expected to take a commission of around 30 per cent.
Furthermore, the app will offer a booking option for pro freelance cameramen to cover the next stage of a news story after the initial footage has been submitted.
NewsCar will launch on Australia’s east coast on 26 April, but Walter said he plans to make the US (where it will be launching in June) the app’s main market.
Walter is also looking to expand the app beyond news by allowing production crews to use NewsCar for general programming and making use of US drone owners for aerial news footage, Fairfax noted.
NewsCar is the first app of its kind, according to Fairfax, differentiating itself from citizen journalism companies such as Fresco and Newzulu, where people upload footage that TV networks can buy only by responding to certain demands from newsrooms.
