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Amateur MTV Journos to Cover Election

Hipsters aim to grab eyeballs lost to bloggers, Daily Show

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 12, 2008 7:37 PM CST

(Newser) – MTV is banking on enthusiastic amateurs to make it the go-to source for hip election news. The "Street Team"—51 mostly-under-25 journos armed with laptops, digital cameras, and camcorders—have been deployed to recapture eyeballs and cachet lost to bloggers, Comedy Central, and YouTube, while "redefining journalism," MTV's president says.

The Street Team—one person from each state and Washington DC—were given intensive basic training in journalism, including "don't drink with your sources," and lessons on how to operate Panasonic camcorders, the Boston Globe reports. Each will broadcast in his or her region, and the AP will distribute Street Team videos to its online video network.

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This file photo shows MTV's coverage of the 2004 election on TRL. (Getty Images)

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Amateur MTV Journos to Cover Election