VANCOUVER, British Columbia and NEW YORK, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- NowPublic (http://www.nowpublic.com/), the world's largest participatory news network, today unveiled "2008: A Year in User-Generated News," its identification of 2008's 10 most important moments in crowd-powered media (http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/2008-year-user-generated-news). "2008: A Year in User-Generated News" serves as a snapshot and analysis of the seismic shift in the ways we use to gather, share and consume news and information.

"2008 not only proved the concept of user-generated news, but also tipped the scales," said Leonard Brody, co-founder and CEO of NowPublic. "The pillars of mainstream media, including the Associated Press, BBC, CBS and CNN have all made significant efforts to embrace the new model. The culmination of this, of course, was Columbia University's recent announcement that the Pulitzers will now include 'Internet-only' news."

"In today's highly wired and mobile world, everyone has a digital soapbox," said Rachel Nixon, global news director for NowPublic. "No longer the preserve of a few, crowd-powered media formats began to be widely used by anyone wanting to get their message out and connect. Concerned communities used a variety of platforms to share emergency information about natural disasters. And activists used these tools to circumvent - and pre-empt - official information sources, helping to change the direction of protests, or getting information out when authorities were slow to provide it."

Chosen by NowPublic editors, these are the 10 most important moments of the year in user-generated news:

1. Mumbai Attacks

(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/1-mumbai-attacks-2008-review)

2. Natural disasters: Sharing Emergency Information

(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/2-natural-disasters-sharing-emergency-information-2008-review)

3. Olympic Torch Relay Protests in San Francisco

(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/3-olympic-torch-relay-protests-san-francisco-2008-review)

4. Obama and "Bittergate"

(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/4-obama-and-bittergate-2008-review)

5. Republican Convention Protests Change Tack

(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/5-republican-convention-protests-change-tack-2008-review)

6. Ushahidi: Crowdsourcing Crisis Information in Africa

(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/6-ushahidi-crowdsourcing-crisis-information-2008-review)

7. CNN's News Wire Plans

(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/7-cnn-news-wire-plans-2008-review)

8. Mob Rule: Mark Zuckerberg's SXSW Interview

(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/8-mob-rule-mark-zuckerberg-s-sxsw-interview-2008-review)

9. Twitter Gets US student Out of Egyptian Jail

(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/9-twitter-gets-student-out-egyptian-jail-2008-review)

10. False Report About Steve Jobs Heart Attack

(http://my.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/10-false-report-steve-jobs-heart-attack-2008-review)

About NowPublic

NowPublic is a crowd-sourced, participatory news network that mobilizes an army of reporters to cover the events that define our world. In its short history, the company has become the largest news organization of its kind with contributing reporters in more than 5,500 cities and 160 countries. The Guardian has named NowPublic one of the top five most useful news sites on the Web and Time Magazine named it one of the Top 50 Websites for 2007. The company has received funding from Rho Ventures, Rho Canada, Brightspark, GrowthWorks and members of the New York Angels.

Contact For NowPublic: Chris Macowski The Morris + King Company 212-561-7459 chris.macowski@morris-king.com

SOURCE NowPublic