Can I Use News Articles in My YouTube Video?
Jan 6, 2021Recently, I was asked a question by a YouTube content creator that I thought was quite interesting. The question was: "Can I use news articles in my YouTube video?" It's a good question to ask, as many videos are enhanced by including news articles in them. But can you use them in your YouTube videos or not?
You can use news articles in your YouTube video as long as you do not modify the article and give credit to the author. Ideally, you should include a link to the article featured in your video in the description box. This way, you give credit to the author of the article, and you can help the author gain more recognition for their work.
Not only news channels use news articles in their videos. Sports channels and gaming channels have often been known to use articles as well. So, even if you are not making videos about "news", you can still use articles to enhance your videos that are related to other topics such as sports, gaming, etc.
Can I Read News Articles on YouTube
Featuring news articles in YouTube videos is a great way to expand on the content being presented. But what about reading news articles and providing insights? Meaning, you give your insights to help enhance a news article, as opposed to using a news article to enhance your YouTube video?
You can read news articles on YouTube as long as you give proper credit to the author of the article. Along with this, you cannot modify the contents of the article- everything needs to be presented exactly as it was originally presented. A link to the article being read in the video should also be featured in the description box of the video to help the author.
It is okay if you do not read the entire article in your videos- you can pick and choose which sections you read. Just be sure to include links to the full articles in your video description boxes, along with a verbal call-to-action in your videos. The verbal call-to-action should clearly state where the article is from and where it can be found.
Very rarely do content creators on YouTube run into issues when reading news articles in videos. Typically, issues only arrive if articles have been modified or if credit to the author has not been given. To make sure you do not run into any issues, give credit, and do not modify article content.
Using News Articles in YouTube Videos
As a YouTube content creator, your goal should always be to create high-quality videos. Certain ways of using news articles in YouTube videos results in the creation of higher quality videos than others. While including articles in your videos can help enhance them, the inclusion of articles mustn't lower the quality of your videos.
For example, sometimes, content creators include articles in their videos when it is not necessary to do so. Doing this can lower the quality of videos, as viewers often stop watching videos when they become irrelevant to them. Including articles for the sake of including articles is never a good idea.
Also, it's typically not a good idea to simply read news articles and not contribute any thoughts or opinions. People watch YouTube videos to receive value, and reading an article without contributing anything doesn't provide viewers with much value. If people wanted to read an article, they'd read the article themselves, not watch someone else read it in a video.
Use news articles as a tool to enhance your videos. Give your thoughts and opinions on a topic discussed in an article- don't just read it. Feel free to feature multiple articles in the same video and compare them to each other, alongside your thoughts and opinions. Also, use articles from different sources to give viewers multiple perspectives.
Examples of YouTube Channels That Use News Articles
Sometimes, the best way to see how news articles can be used in videos is to watch videos that use them. Political channels tend to be the most frequent users of articles in videos, however, there are countless gaming and sports channels that do as well. So, don't think that you cannot use articles in your videos because of your niche.
Spawn Wave Plus
Spawn Wave Plus is a YouTube channel dedicated to covering gaming news and rumors. Watch any video from this channel and you'll notice that news articles are used as a tool to inform viewers and carry discussions. Spawn Wave Plus is a great example of a channel that uses articles in videos to help inform and educate viewers.
Timcast
Timcast is a YouTube channel dedicated to covering various news stories in the political realm. By viewing any video from this channel, you'll notice that articles are used as a tool to offer up ideas for discussion. Timcast is a great example of a channel that utilizes news articles to help educate and inform viewers.
Conclusion
Over the years, many YouTube content creators have used news articles to help enhance the quality of their YouTube videos. While some content creators use articles the wrong way, many use them the right way, and this helps their videos become more valuable to viewers. No matter what niche you are in, you can use news articles in your YouTube videos.