SOURCE: YouTube

 

SAN BRUNO, CA--(Marketwire - May 21, 2009) - Today YouTube announced the launch of the U.S. Government Channel (www.youtube.com/usgovernment), a new channel where citizens can access dozens of new Federal Government YouTube channels. The U.S. Government Channel will help people navigate federal government services and get an inside look at the work of several federal agencies including the White House, the State Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Social Security Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

"We've seen a lot of interaction between citizens and the federal government on YouTube, and we're proud to launch this new channel with the GSA to make it even easier," said Steve Grove, Head of News and Politics at YouTube. "This is a great development towards making our government more open, transparent, and accessible to the people."

The U.S. Government Channel on YouTube contains playlists of useful government content, and links to all federal agency channels. The State Department shows how to apply for a new passport; NASA provides videos from the shuttle launch and the international space station; NOAA allows people to follow their explorations of the depths of the ocean; the Social Security Administration demonstrates how to apply for benefits; and the White House continues to post Weekly Addresses from President Obama as well as inside looks at the President's daily schedule in Washington.

In addition to making government videos available to people in an easy to access format, several of the U.S. Government YouTube channels provide avenues for feedback. Comments, rankings, and sharing tools allow each agency to hear back from citizens directly.

Civic and political content has grown rapidly in popularity on YouTube in the past few years. YouTube's You Choose '08 platform, which brought politics to the site during the 2008 Election, was the first step towards developing the site as a platform for political discussion. The YouTube community has shown keen interest in continuing to engage with elected officials since the election, and the U.S. Government Channel highlights the ways they can do so.