I think they have a long way to go.
And that's not just the photography. The editing, the web site itself and the legal terms all need a lot of work.
If you summit a photo to the site, they get a 30-day, worldwide, exclusive license to the picture, followed by a non-exclusive, perpetual licence. None of this can be revoked once you upload a photo.
The "photographer" works for free and gets paid only if someone licences a photo. How much does the photographer get paid? Well, it's vague and confusing.
How do they verify any information? Let's put it this way:
Newzulu does not offer any warranty regarding the quality, legality, reliability or accuracy of the Media Package, or regarding the Newzulu Contributors entitlement to sell any Media Package....
Newzulu is looking for a managing editor in London, UK, and an editor in New York. No journalism experience required. That pretty much says it all.
I'm not sure if Newzulu is partnered with CP or CP Images. In any case, I will guess that CP/CPI pays nothing and it gets first look and a commission if a photo is sold through CP/CPI.
There's nothing about this service that can benefit a photographer, professional or amateur, unless you like to work for free and then give away your work.
Having said that, a photographer's worst enemy is themselves:
• Two days ago, I was speaking with a US-based photographer who shoots for a stock agency. His commission from one client is $0.02 per picture and from another client it's $0.03 per picture.
• Yesterday, a picture editor from a small agency told me he couldn't find photographers to work for $250 plus expenses because the photographers he called were shooting the same event for a much bigger agency for $150 (including expenses and copyright ownership).
• Spoke with a photographer who works for $125/day including expenses. He lives ~180 km outside of Toronto and drives in to shoot assignments. His car expense alone is more than $125. He was complaining that his photo business wasn't taking off.