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knight news challenge

The Knight News Challenge is a contest that recognizes the next generation of news entrepreneurs, and the winners announced this week include startups trying to develop video, mobile, and crowdsourced solutions, leveraging existing technology and networks, to filter through the huge amount of news and content people are exposed to each day.The Knight News Challenge is hosted by the Knight Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports transformational ideas which promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities, and foster the arts. The purpose of the contest is to recognize and support innovative efforts in using digital technology to increase the quality and reliability of the news, content, and information that communities receive and share.The winners announced this week include:

  • Peepol.tv – This startup will leverage existing streaming networks like Ustream and TweetCaster to aggregate live mobile video streams of breaking news events into an easily searchable world map. The goal is to connect users to global events as they happen.
  • Recovers.org – This startup is focused on charitable work and disaster response and recovery. Communities can create an online space before or after a disaster strikes (such as a tornado, hurricane, etc.) where all recovery efforts and communications can happen.
  • Signalnoi.se – Signalnoi.se is a dashboard that tracks news stories through social networks and across competitor newsroom sites, so newsrooms can monitor what's relevant and resonating with readers. The goal is to enable newsrooms to make better decisions about what stories should be featured and promoted.
  • Watchup – This is an iPad app that makes it easier for users to search and watch high-quality news videos. It offers what Knight Foundation describes as "a curated playlist that aggregates news reports into a simple interface."
  • Behavio – Behavio focuses on consumer behavior in the mobile space. It's an open-source platform that turns mobile phones into "smart sensors of people’s real world behavior." In other words, Behavio tracks how people use their phones, how they communicate with other people, and more. Journalists will be able to use Behavio to discover trends in local data and ultimately, "launch a mobile application that allows individuals to explore data about their lives."
  • Tor Project – The Tor Project operates with a specific goal -- to make it easier for journalists to communicate with sources safely and anonymously. Since governments, criminals, and more are monitoring mobile and online communications every day, Tor Project will help journalists and sources avoid threats and attacks.

Each of the winning ventures are innovative and have great potential. Which ventures are you most excited about? Which could you use to help you create Authoritative Content?