Newsfluencer

A newsfluencer, also news influencer or journo-influencer, is an influencer who focuses on creating content on current events and civic issues on social media platforms. People who fall under this category include self-employed journalists, Substack writers, YouTuber and TikToker journalists, and Twitch streamers. These influencers span from immitating news reporting like Walter Cronkite to commenting on news stories they find interesting.

In contrast to more traditional news media companies who can offer more details or original reporting, newsfluencers have the advantage of speed in creating their content and perception of being more personal and peer led.[1][2]

Origins

During the 2020 United States presidential election, Twitch streamer Hasan Piker live streamed for eleven hours of himself keeping up with the election results in an unpolished way that "reflected [his audiences'] own news consumption practices".[3]

In 2024, the Pew Research Center reported that seventeen percent of adults regularly follow current events and news from social media apps. Moreover, fewer than one percent of all TikTok accounts followed by Americans are traditional news media organizations.[1]

In September 2024, "newsfluencer" was defined as "platformatised creators who operate according to the economic and cultural logics of online influencers to produce news content for participatory audiences".[3] They come from diverse backgrounds, including former journalists to independent content creators, who are able to create timely and relatable news coverage in "Facetime-style videos" compared to traditional news media.[4]

Examples

Examples of newsfluencers include:[1][2]

  • Aaron Parnas, lawyer and political content creator
  • Jack Mac, comments on news reports that they find interesting
  • Hasan Piker, Twitch streamer who comments on politics
  • V Spehar, creator of Under The Desk News
  • Lisa Remillard, also known as "The News Girl", has a background in traditional journalism

Criticisms

Regarding news on TikTok, it's factual accuracy is understudied. However, media watchdog NewsGuard found that 20 percent of TikTok’s news search results contained misinformation.[1] Traditional news media companies, like NBC News, and academics have criticized some newsfluencers of asking uncritical questions or showing overt bias towards people they are interviewing.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Dimri, Amogh (August 2, 2025). "This Is the News From TikTok". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Deggans, Eric (January 4, 2025). "How influencers are impacting journalism". NPR. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Hurcombe, Edward. "Conceptualising the "Newsfluencer": Intersecting Trajectories in Online Content Creation and Platformatised Journalism". Digital Journalism. 0 (0): 1–12. doi:10.1080/21670811.2024.2397088. ISSN 2167-0811.
  4. ^ Salcius, Katie. "The Rise of News Influencers: How They're Reshaping Traditional Media". Forbes. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  5. ^ Scott, Liam (July 1, 2025). "The rise of the newsfluencer". Index on Censorship. 54 (2): 74–77. doi:10.1177/03064220251359924. ISSN 0306-4220.

Further reading

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