MySpace Teams With NBC To Continue Citizen Journalist Craze

Citizen journalism seems all the rage these days, with normal people breaking news to the world with their mobile phones and portable computers. News sites like GroundReport and CNN’s iReport are offering users outlets for their eyewitness stories, and with emerging mobile broadcasting products like Twitter and Qik, we’re only going to see the trend continue to grow.

In keeping with the trend, MySpace has partnered with NBC News and MSNBC.com to launch its “Decision ’08 Convention” contest, which will offer two MySpace users the chance to attend and report from either the Republic or Democratic national convention.

From the press release:

The videos should be less than two minutes long and answer one of the following questions: “Why do you vote?” “Why are you the best person for this job?” “How will you stand out in the crowd and get the scoop no one else can?” The submission period closes on Wednesday, July 16.

Judges will narrow the submissions down to five candidates, who will be voted on by the MySpace community. The two contestants with the highest number of votes will be sent to the national conventions, where they’ll serve as reporters representing the MySpace community. The contest is being orchestrated through MySpace’s Impact portal, which offers users a place to learn and get involved with politics, community service, and eco-friendly projects.