Google has a new project to help distribute news organizations' videos via YouTube and Google News. News organizations can sign up as a "Preferred Partner" and get premium placement on the YouTube News & Politics page and on Google News, which recently started featuring video. Plus, they can earn dough through the company's ad revenue sharing program.

Silicon Alley Insider says the move is part of a broader plan to try to attract more premium advertisters to YouTube by featuring more professional content.

Traditional news organizations may see the move as one more way Google is stealing their content and canibalizing their revenue. But YouTube News and Politics manager Olivia Ma makes some decent points in her pitch on the Google News blog: "YouTube and Google News have millions of visitors every day searching for the latest news and information," she writes. The new program lets news organizations "raise awareness around [their] brand and reach new audiences by making [their] video content available on YouTube and Google News."