As more people get news and information from YouTube, TikTok and other social media, how do they know what standards creators bring to their work? How do they distinguish between journalists, influencers and everything in between?

Joss Fong, co-host of the science channel Howtown on YouTube, said audiences – herself included – struggle to discern who is who when scrolling on these platforms.

“It’s a complete ‘Wild Wild West’ transition time,” Fong said, “hopefully to something that feels clearer and more trustworthy, but maybe not. Maybe this is the new normal.”

Fong, who was a senior editorial producer at Vox News for almost a decade, spoke Tuesday on a panel in New York City organized by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and hosted by Bloomberg. She said that Howtown can spend two months producing investigative, well-crafted videos, but it isn’t always evident to new viewers what kind of credentials or standards the journalists bring.

“The thing is, there is no bar to hit to be a news creator,” said Mo News Founder Mosheh Oinounou, another panelist. “The problem this poses for consumers is it requires a lot more work.”

The panel – From TV News to TikTok Views: Journalism in the Age of the Influencer – explored these issues as a growing number of people turn to creators for news. A recent Pew Research Center study found that one in five Americans regularly get news from influencers on social media.

In addition to Fong and Oinounou, Justin Arenstein, CEO of Code for Africa and co-CEO of ICFJ+, joined from Tbilisi, Georgia, and Marquise Francis, correspondent for NBC News’ Stay Tuned, moderated the conversation. The evening began with a discussion on journalist safety and security featuring Eliot Stempf, vice president of U.S. information security at Axel Springer, and Sharon Moshavi, ICFJ president and ICFJ+ co-CEO.
 

Blurred lines and differing standards

Oinounou, an award-winning executive producer who led teams at Fox News, Bloomberg TV, CNBC and CBS News before launching his own news brand, said his coverage is nonpartisan and he ensures he cites sources and verifies reporting. He also has a practice of correcting errors on Mo News – as does Fong, although she said Howtown has never had to do it. But these kinds of practices are not the norm.

Arenstein said that in some countries, he’s seen fellow creators call each other out for errors, another form of accountability in this new media ecosystem.

He also encouraged traditional media to learn from the news influencers who, increasingly, people are looking to for information.

“There are lessons out there that as media, we could be building on rather than trying to reinvent the model, or even worse, trying to impose something on what’s basically a new ecosystem,” Arenstein said. “We need to be learning as much from them as trying to impose what we think are acceptable standards.”

News collaborations that deepen impact

In some regions, creators and traditional outlets are forging partnerships that combine the best of both worlds.

In parts of Africa and the Caucasus, Code for Africa has helped forge partnerships between content creators and larger, more well-resourced news outlets that have proven to be mutually beneficial. The creators are often deeply knowledgeable about the topic or community they cover.

Through the partnership, they get access to forensic research and production resources that they don’t have in house, Arenstein said. News outlets, meanwhile, reach and more deeply engage the communities that the creators bring through the partnerships.

The partnerships have been welcomed by creators, in part because of a growing understanding of what it takes to create “longevity” with audiences across digital platforms, Arenstein said.

“Quick hits are easy, but getting people to come back again and again and refer to you as something they can base decisions on or trust information from is a far harder task and a bigger lift,” he said.

Creating with – and listening to – the audience

The panel also explored how audience interaction looks different for creators compared to traditional journalists.

Oinounou, who runs a fast-growing Instagram-based news service, said he spends hours a day in direct messages with his audience – crowdsourcing leads, checking facts and gauging interest in emerging stories.

Posting about a news item can quickly bring new voices into the reporting process, he said. In some cases, the sheer volume of audience feedback on an overlooked topic prompts deeper coverage. The process also serves as a feedback loop: “Did I do this right? Did I not do this? Did I answer your questions?”

Talking through their process is big for Howtown, said Fong, who is a 2025 ICFJ News Creator Awardee for Excellence in Independent Video Journalism. They show their interviews on camera, publish their sources and talk about how they are looking for answers. “You’re making the thing and the behind-the-scenes thing at the same time,” she said.

The moderator, Marquise Francis, echoed what panelists were saying, drawing from his experience with NBC News’ “Stay Tuned,” where he produces video news on Snapchat for Gen Z audiences.

“You can’t just take what you’re doing on broadcast and throw it on Instagram. They don’t want that,” he said. “They want to see someone’s face, they want to know they can believe the news, and they want to know they can hold someone accountable if it’s wrong.”

ICFJ thanks Bloomberg for generously hosting the event.