YouTube Local News “News” Just Part of YouTube Direct?

SF Weekly ran a story yesterday evening about YouTube having a "top secret news experiment" involving citizen journalism and "going local in San Francisco". Peter Kafka at All Things Digital played down the news, saying he was told by "a person familiar with the sites’ plans, "YouTube is working with a San Francisco TV station to launch a new iteration of its YouTube Direct platform." YouTube Direct has been around since November.

Key features of YouTube Direct include:

- Built on the YouTube API, this 100% open-source solution provides you with an easily-integrated audience engagement platform for your website

- The customizable interface allows you to tailor the look and feel of the tool precisely to your audience

- Visitors can answer your call for content by uploading their videos to YouTube via your site without leaving the page

- Users can also upload photos, in addition to video

- A moderation panel enables your editors to review and approve/reject all submitted videos and photos, deciding which ones meet your organization’s editorial criteria

- All videos approved by your editors include a link back to your site when viewed on YouTube

An official announcement about San Francisco is expected next week. Read here for earlier coverage of YouTube Direct 2.0, announced in April, with partners like ABC News, Gannett, the Huffington Post, NPR, and the Washington Post.