Building Blocks of Credible Creator Journalism

"News Creators" – from investigative YouTubers to TikTok experts – shape information flows in many markets. People of all ages and social backgrounds increasingly trust journalistic personal brands more than organizations.

Yet creator-journalists often work without the institutional support, transparency, and ethical obligations of traditional quality newsrooms.

That's why we find the results of the new study by FT Strategies and WAN-IFRA purposeful and important!

The authors identify six key action areas to promote and secure the quality and sustainability of creator-journalists.

First:

Training in ethics, fact-checking, and responsible use of AI is essential. Many creators lack journalistic backgrounds but increasingly use AI tools. Without clear standards, credibility and information quality are at risk.

Second:

Recognition systems – such as awards or platform features – can make trustworthy creator-journalists visible and reward their work. This strengthens motivation, community building, and opens doors to sponsors or funders.

Third:

Platforms must design algorithms and tools to reward responsible practices. Features like transparent source citations, correction notices, or funding disclosure can help distinguish creator content from pure entertainment.

Fourth:

Structured support programs – such as mentoring, accelerator models, or peer networks – provide guidance for business development, audience building, and burnout prevention. Many creators still operate too much in "trial and error" mode.

Fifth:

Funding pathways that take news creators seriously as small media enterprises are crucial. Rather than dismissing them as trendy "influencers," grants, business tools, and consulting should be accessible to individuals as well.

Sixth:

Local support in high-risk or low-income markets is necessary. There, creators struggle with censorship, lacking infrastructure, and limited monetization opportunities – even though they are often the only news source for entire communities.

Bottom line

"News Creators" and stakeholders in industry and education who orient themselves accordingly promote a more diverse, credible, and sustainable information landscape – and productive synergy from which all participants benefit.