The News Creators Project Report draws on a wealth of research conducted in three phases, including in-depth interviews with 15+ creators and 25+ Advisory Board experts – which includes creators from YouTube, TikTok, Substack and Instagram.
A synthesis of academic research, platform standards, real-world practices, existing frameworks and adapted journalism principles has resulted in a wealth of insights and resources, including a typology for news creators, guidelines and a diagnostic tool to ensure financial sustainability.
This comprehensive dive into how news creators are impacting the information highway delivers deep insights into 11 emerging themes, unpacked in awebinar to mark the launch of the report this week.
Panelists included Vitus ‘V’ Spehar, founder and editor of Under the Desk News, Ben Reininga, VP of audio and video at Politico, and Sruthi Gottipati, founder of Spot On News – each reflecting the diversity of players in the space, with news creators identified in the report across three main segments as: investigators, explainers, and commentators.
These can shift, and overlap.
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An ongoing evolution
On her homepage, Spehar describes herself a TikToker, political advocate and “general good friend.” A baker in a previous life, she’s also one of the few on the Advisory Board for The News Creator Project with no previous journalism experience. She does, however, have a wealth of insights as the go-to source for news for GenZ and Millennials – and as a pioneer in a space that has evolved and converged to totally transform the news ecosystem.
Since launching Under the Desk News on TikTok in April 2020, Spehar has expanded into other platforms, and has done several high profile political interviews, including three at the Oval Office with (former) President Joe Biden.
“When I first started doing big interviews, people were cheering for me because they felt like we were in the room together,” she explains. “We went to our Harvard fellowship; we went to the Oval Office…
“Because not only am I doing the interview, they’re watching me get ready in the morning. And they got to pick the suit I wore that day; they’re interacting with me on a live show after the interview… And I think that lack of community is why people say: ‘Oh! I hate the mainstream media.’ You don’t; you love it – you just don’t like the way it’s packaged.”
The discussion explored how connecting with audiences has propelled news creators into the spotlight, and emphasised the importance of adapting journalism to meet those needs by incorporating news creators’ best practices.
Solutions to challenges news providers are grappling with were also unpacked – notably, that of financial sustainability.
Seeking solutions to existing challenges
“News Creators navigate a fragmented, shifting information landscape, build trust through their own standards and grapple with financial pressures,” reads the report, which identifies 11 emerging themes. Of these, three key elements are noted:
- Rejection of traditional objectivity by many creators
- Financial sustainability challenges, and
- Potential for collaboration between news creators and established media.
Actionable recommendations
To offer news creators the support systems they need to thrive:
- Offer ethics, verification, fact-checking and responsible sharing training tailored to creators – especially for AI use
- Build recognition schemes that reward impactful, credible creator journalism
- Encourage platforms to prioritise original reporting and responsible information sharing through algorithms and tools
- Develop structured support programmes that guide creators toward financial sustainability
- Create funding pathways that treat creators as small, independent news businesses
- Localise support for creators working in restricted, low-income, or high-risk markets
Closing the news gaps
The News Creator Project report concludes the initial, 6-month research phase of the Global News Gaps Project, led by the Google News Initiative (GNI) and supported by WAN-IFRA and FT Strategies.
The aim: “To deepen our understanding of news creators and their challenges, and identify opportunities for us to help grow their work and help it thrive in an evolving ecosystem” has led to the creation of three critical resources:
- A segmentation taxonomy to help funders, platforms and peers better understand and navigate the News Creator space
- A set of co-created information guidelines designed to help creators produce accurate, reliable and valuable information
- A Diagnostic where creators can assess their financial sustainability and receive recommendations on where they need to improve, and how
The Global News Gap Project will select 300 digital native news organisations and news creators to receive strategy consultations from FT Strategies; and long-term growth product training from GNI trainers.
At least 150 will receive an annual AP content package and 150 will also receive two years of membership to WAN-IFRA.
This story was first published by the World Editors Forum, a leading global community of editors, which is an integral part of the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).
Lucinda Jordaan is WAN-IFRA’s correspondent in Africa.
