Frequently Asked Questions

About Newsflare

  • The Community

    • What is Newsflare? Newsflare is an online video news community and marketplace for user generated video content. Newsflare specializes in covering news that is too breaking, too remote or too local for traditional news organisations. Basically, our users upload your videos to Newsflare, media outlets buy them and the submitter gets a share of between a 50 and 80% of the final price for what it was sold.
    • Why submit clips to Newsflare? If you are a reporter, Newsflare makes the process of selling a video easy and rewarding. You always get a minimum of a 50% of the revenues of whatever you sell - more as you progress with Newsflare up to an 80% for our Newsflare Pro members. Newsflare exposes and brokers your content to a global audience and gives you more time to dedicate to what is important: getting videos and enjoying your rewards.
    • Why buy clips from Newsflare? If you are a buyer, what makes Newsflare distinctive is the ability to search for specific videos in an advanced way. All our videos are tagged, geo-located and therefore more trusted than user generated content available on other websites.
    • I am a professional journalist. Can I still use Newsflare? Of course! In fact, as a professional journalist we are very interested in you. Depending on your level of experience you may be entitled to special privileges. Newsflare can serve too as the platform to showcase those clips that end up being forgotten because they fall on the under-reported issues or are too niche to be broadcasted by mainstream media. Contact us for more information.
    • Where can I find your full terms and conditions? Our Terms of Service section.

  • Your account

    • How much does it cost to register? Nothing! Registration for reporters and media buyers is completely free.
    • Can I integrate Newsflare with my other social networks? Yes. You can integrate your Newsflare account with your Facebook and Twitter accounts .You can sign in and log in with Twitter and Facebook and share on any of those social networks directly from Newsflare. In the future we plan to integrate with even more social networks.
    • Why do you need my phone number? We generally prefer email communication but sometimes phones are better. We need your phone number because from time to time we might need to contact you personally. For example, we might need to contact you to get your payment details, to offer you special assignments or it might be also used in cases of emergency when we fear for your safety.
    • As a reporter do I need to provide financial information? No. We only will need you to provide us with your PayPal account details when you sell something in Newsflare. We will never ask you for your credit card number.
    • Can I access and edit my information? Yes. You can access and edit your personal information at any point in your account settings. There you can edit or change your password, contact information and other personal data.
    • What is the difference between a basic and full profile? Your Basic profile publishes publicly your:
      • Username
      • Profile picture
      • Description
      • Bio
      • Interests
      A full Profile publishes on top of that:
      • Your real full name
      • Your occupation
      • Your equipment
      • Your general location
      We will NEVER show publicly your:
      • Email
      • Password
      • Phone and Address (Postcode)
    • How do I delete my account? We understand that sometimes priorities change and you might need to leave us. You only need to drop us an email and we will delete your account. We will send you confirmation of this via email.

Reporters

  • Becoming a reporter

    • How do I become a reporter? Anyone 18 or older can become a Newsflare reporter. To become a reporter you need to proceed through these two steps: 1. Register with Newsflare for a free account 2. Upload a video Once you have done all of that you will be promoted to Bronze and you will be officially part of Newsflare.

  • The Newsflare community

    • Can I contact other reporters? Not directly. You can't send private messages to other Reporters. But you can comment or rate on other Reporter's videos. You can also create your own blog or comment on other people's blogs.
    • Can I contact the buyers? Again, not directly. In order to minimize spam and maximize security, Reporters can't contact Media buyers directly via private message. However, as the Media buyers will have as well a Newsflare profile, Reporters can interact with them as they would do with any other Newsflare member.
    • Can I create a blog? Yes. You can go to your profile and start your own blog. We only ask you to keep it clean: no objectionable content, no illegal material, no spam, no insults - the usual stuff.
    • Can I also buy videos from other reporters? Yes. Anyone can buy a clip although different members have different rights of purchase depending on their member level.

  • About my videos

    • How do I upload videos? You can upload your videos via web and via mobile phone -for web, just click on the upload button to the right of the nav-bar on the site -or directly from your phone with our iPhone app. We will also soon be launching an Android App.
    • How many videos can I upload? There is no limit in the number of videos you can upload. However there is a limit in the size of the individual videos that you upload that depends on your membership level. It starts at a maximum of 200MB per video for new users but our Pro members enjoy a more generous limit. If your clip is too big, try to cut it in several parts and avoid compressing as this would compromise the quality.
    • What kind of videos should I submit? Your kid's first steps? Whilst it's cute, this is not the place for it. Neither is it the place for kittens' videos - although we love kittens too. Did you witness a local or international event, an accident or a natural catastrophe? Those are some excellent examples of what we want. Newsflare is a community dedicated to news, so you should only submit newsworthy videos.
    • What makes a video newsworthy? Having said that, almost anything could make the cut. Generally we prefer videos of current events and breaking news. You can find more about what makes a video newsworthy in our Academy.
    • What should I avoid? Keep your material up to journalistic standards. This means avoiding plagiarism, altered footage, inaccuracy, biased information, propaganda and advertising.
    • What formats do you accept? Coming soon.
    • What information should accompany my videos? Your tags are probably the most important part of your video description, as it is what identifies your footage on our search engine. Also very important is the geolocation of your videos; to have a better chance of selling your videos we need to know where they were shot.The app does it automatically but for web uploads you must specify the location manually. In the description you should explain shortly the Five W's (What, Who, Where, When and Why + How) as good as you can. Try to write as much as you can in the minimum space possible. If we need more information we might need to contact you by email or phone.
    • What is the minimum accepted quality? If your footage is too much out of focus, too shaky, too dark or too compressed, maybe it doesn't meet the criteria. But anything can make it as long as it can be shown. A good way to tell it: If not even you can tell what's going on in the video, then, it might not be a good one. Ideally videos should be of sufficient quality to be broadcasted on TV. Most digital cameras, camcorders and smartphones are able to capture footage with the sufficient quality. Indeed, some even capture HD! However, even if this is not your case, your video may still be sold to news websites as they will accept lower resolutions.
    • How quickly will my videos appear online? Please, be advised that the uploading speed depends on your network provider. Try to get a fast connection to upload the videos as it might take a long time to do so. In our tests we were able to upload large files (175MB, 30 seconds HD video) in about 20 minutes from the desktop application. Once your video has been uploaded we need to process it. If everything is alright, it takes us between 10 and 15 minutes. So from the moment you start uploading your footage to when it is actually online, there is a minimum time of around half an hour. However, if you upload a clip from your iPhone, all that process can be reduced to as little as 10 minutes.
    • My video is not uploading, why? We recommend you to use strong fast reliable connections when uploading videos to Newsflare. If your Internet connection fails during the upload you might see the video upload stopping for no apparent reason. If that happens, try uploading it again. If the problem persists, please contact us for support.
    • What happens when my video gets flagged? If a video is flagged by the community we will need to review it and approve it. In the meantime we might have to remove it from Newsflare. We will communicate you if any of your videos has been flagged or if we remove it.
    • Can I edit my videos or do you want raw material? You choose! We accept either raw material or edited videos. However, for breaking news we recommend raw material. Speed is essential. The sooner we can get it across the buyers, the better Remember that once you upload the material you can't edit it, so better make all the changes you want before uploading it.
    • Do you alter my videos in any way? We might change the resolution to upload it to the website faster but we will never crop or edit a video without your consent. The buyer will always buy your original footage but obviously the final published result might be different from the original, at the discretion of the media outlets that bought the videos.
    • Am I liable for the content I upload? Yes. Remember that Newsflare acts only as a middle man to sell your stuff to traditional media outlets. If you plagiarize, fall into libel or commit another offence when you upload a video, you will be solely liable and responsible of the legal consequences.
    • What if I get a crime on video? We will always try to protect the identities of our reporters in dangerous environments or living under repressive regimes as much as possible. But bear in mind that depending on the circumstances, if you witnessed a crime, Police might request us to provide them with your contact details and if this is the case, we are legally bound to do so.
    • Can I unlist a video? Yes. You can delete a video you uploaded at any time on your My Videos section of My Account. Simply select the video o videos to delete and click on Delete Selected at the bottom of the page. However any media outlet that has already bought your clip will retain the rights to use it in the terms of the sale.

  • Newsflare assignments

    • What is a Newsflare assignment? A Newsflare Assignment is a request from a Media Company for specific video content relating to a story that they are covering or intend to cover. Assignments have a deadline and are geographically specific. When responding to assignments, Newsflare Reporters should only submit clips that are relevant to what has been requested.
    • Do I get paid more for responding to an assignment? Technically no, but you will have a greater chance of making a sale. Let us explain this. Clips in response to an assignment are valued the same way as any other clip. However, the fact that a Media Outlet asked specifically for it will make it easier to sell which in return is likely to report you more profits. Assignments can also have either a fixed price -media outlets will set a fixed amount to pay for the assignment- or open priced, which follow the general rules of pricing and depend on the license of purchase.
    • Am I guaranteed a sale if I respond to an assignment? No. Your videos are more likely to be sold because you know that someone is actually looking for it, but Newsflare doesn't guarantee you a sale.
    • If I am on an assignment, does it mean I am working for Newsflare? No. Newsflare doesn't employ you in any way. Even when responding to a Newsflare assignment, you are still a freelance reporter.

  • Newsflare Reporter Rewards, Badges and the Academy

    • What are the Newsflare Reporter Rewards? Newsflare Reporter Rewards is the programme that rewards you for the great clips that you submit, whether they are sold or not. The higher the ratings your videos get, the more points you win. Now, Newsflare points are not like your supermarket shop points or like the kind of points that you can exchange for money-off. Rather, they are more like the ‚Äòtier points' you might know from many airline frequent-flier schemes.
    • How do I win points? As you become more active and proficient at capturing and submitting newsworthy video clips, eventually you will collect enough Newsflare points to achieve the next ‚Äòtier' or what we call member-level. Whenever you achieve a new member-level, we let you know via a notification on the site, an email and by changing the badge that accompanies your profile, clips and comments across the site.
    • What can I get with a higher member-level? Whilst the levels do get harder to attain, the rewards also get better and better. Each membership level allows you benefits above and beyond the previous one. Benefits range from exclusive access to extra features on the Newsflare website through to an increased share from the sale of any of your clips. You can find a complete list of the rewards and tier levels in the Academy.
    • What are Newsflare badges? Newsflare badges identify your membership level and other type of awards. They indicate your trustworthiness and sometimes might mean the difference between being able to accept an assignment or not. The current badges are:
      • New member badge: for new members that haven't uploaded any video yet.
      • Bronze badge: reporters with Bronze level of membership.
      • Silver badge: reporters with Silver level of membership.
      • Gold badge: reporters with Gold level of membership.
      • Newsflare Pro badge: professional reporters partnering with Newsflare.
      • News Buyer: Media outlets buying clips.
      • Staff: Newsflare staff.
    • What is the Newsflare Academy? The Newsflare Academy is a series of general guidelines that offers novel and amateur users the opportunity to learn the basics of video journalism. If you always wanted to know how pros do it to make awesome newsworthy videos, this is where you should go. You can also comment or propose new topics to be treated in the Newsflare Academy. Everything you always wanted to know but never dared to ask or didn't know who to ask. Just ask a question and the community and the Newsflare team will come back to you with the answer.

  • Selling videos

    • What sells best? Big events, accidents, crashes, natural disaster and in general breaking news are the best sellers. Try to submit your material as soon as possible. Shoot it on your phone and upload it straight from our iPhone App. Short videos are often the winners.
    • How do I sell my videos? You only need to upload your footage to Newsflare and leave the rest to us. After that, Newsflare brokers your clips to media outlets worldwide.
    • How are my videos priced? Once your clip is on our system it is priced according to a number of different parameters. In the final price we take into account how soon after the event we receive it, the uniqueness of the clip, the quality of the image, the license under which it is sold; type of media, duration of the license, geographical publishing rights and exclusivity.
    • How is my footage brokered? After uploading your footage to our website, we present it to our media buyers. The best videos are also usually promoted on the homepage of Newsflare and the more views and ratings your video gets the more we promote it on our homepage. Then the media outlets buy directly the videos from our system, that prices them according to the license under they are purchased.
    • Who can buy my videos? Any member can buy another member's clip in Newsflare.
    • How much do I get paid? It depends on your Member Level. For New Members and Bronze reporters it is 50% of the total price (net of VAT). For Silver reporters it is 60%. For Gold reporters, 70%. If you are a Newsflare Pro you get a whopping 80%!
    • When and how do I get paid? You get paid within a maximum of 3 working days, but in most cases you will receive the money faster than this. We use PayPal to deposit the money directly in your PayPal account. If you don't have an account you can get one for free at www.paypal.com. Please note that we will never ask you for your credit card number.
    • How can I check my sales history? In your my Account section.

Media buyers

  • The clips and the journalists

    • How can I search for videos? Videos are classified according to topic and location. You can search based on keywords, date, location, category or even reporter.
    • Who shoots the videos? All our clips are user generated. This means that we have a broad and heterogeneous palette of contributors ranging from established journalists to normal people who happened to be in the right place at the right time. The Newsflare community consists of students from journalism schools, amateur journalists and citizen journalists.
    • How can I be sure of the accuracy of the Reporters? There are different levels of Newsflare Reporters: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Pro. You can identify them with the Badges that accompany their profile. The higher the level, the more trusted is the reporter by the community and more popular material they produce. We promote our Reporters based on their performance on a pure journalistic and not commercial basis. Their sales don't influence their status, it is the ratings they get from the community what makes them grow. When ordering an assignment you can select it to be restricted to a certain level of Reporters (Gold, Gold & Silver or Open assignment) to guarantee a certain level of quality. However, consider that the number of submissions will decrease dramatically as you demand higher quality Reporters.

  • Licenses

    • What licenses can I purchase based geographical reach? You can license your bought clips to be used in a determined country, region or worldwide.
    • How can I use the footage? You can choose a license to use it on broadcast, online, online behind pay-wall/subscription, print, a combination of them or in all media.
    • For how long can I use the clips? You can buy our clips usage rights for one week, one, three, six or twelve months.
    • What if I need to extend my license? If you need to extend your license, please contact us.
    • Can I cancel a license after purchase? No. Once you purchase a licensed clip we can't revoke your license or refund you for your money.
    • Can I get exclusivity on the footage? Yes.
    • Can I also purchase stills or extract them from videos purchased? Yes, if you purchase a Print license.
    • Can I buy just audio or just video? Not for now but we are planning to implement it in the future if there is enough demand for it.
    • Can I still use a license if I delete my account from Newsflare before its due date? Yes. Once you purchase a license you have the rights to use that footage under the license agreement terms even if you leave Newsflare. However, we encourage regular buyers to keep their accounts to benefit from a trusted relationship with Newsflare.

  • Buying a clip

    • How much does a clip cost? We price our clips based on a use in a defined geographical area, within a certain amount of time, for a determined media and whether in exclusivity or not. High demand might have an impact on the price of the videos.
    • How do I pay? With PayPal. If you or your company don't have an account you can create a free one in www.paypal.com News Organizations can also set up an ESCROW account.

  • Newsflare Assignments

    • How long would it take to get a response to an assignment? For big events, expect to have submissions as soon as it is happening. If you want something more local or breaking, responses might take some time to come in and you should allow a longer duration for the assignment.
    • What are the user badges for? It is a way to determine the quality of member submissions. Gold Badges indicate reporters who have submitted quality videos for some time now. Bronze members are new to the site and they will require a better editorial control before publishing but they can be as useful as the Gold members.
    • How can we partner with Newsflare? Newsflare is keen to work with News Organisations to help them to get the most from the community and the platform. For any enquiries please contact newsdesk@newsflare.com.