Today, with 800 million unique users per month and 72 hours of video uploaded every minute, YouTube has revolutionized the way news is produced and distributed across the globe. It is the world’s largest online video community, empowering citizens and journalists alike to break news in real time. Founded in February 2005, YouTube allows billions of people to discover, watch and share original videos.

During natural disasters or in countries with restrictions on press freedom, YouTube videos often provide unparalleled coverage. From the revolution in Syria to the tsunami in Japan, breaking news is increasingly in the hands of hundreds of millions of eyewitness citizens, who pull out their cell phones with high-resolution cameras and post the first take of history on YouTube.

Traditional media companies are also using YouTube to expand their offerings and to engage citizens in news production. YouTube has also increased funding for seeding news channels on its Web service.

Salar Kamangar, YouTube’s CEO, will accept the News Innovation Award on behalf of the company. Kamangar has been leading YouTube for the past four years. His prior roles at Google, which acquired YouTube in 2006, include developing Google’s first business plan, starting its early legal and finance functions and helping to found Google's product team. Together with a small engineering team, he designed and launched Google AdWords, which now accounts for the majority of Google's revenue. He also led product management for many of Google's consumer applications, including Gmail and Google Docs.

Kamangar earned his bachelor's degree in biological sciences with honors from Stanford University.

YouTube, LLC is based in San Bruno, Calif., and is a subsidiary of Google Inc.