News

Why Some of the Best News Creators Won't Call Themselves Journalists

A little less than a year ago, at the International Journalism Festival in Italy, I asked three winners of the ICFJ News Creator Award if they identified themselves as journalists when talking to sources and audiences. They immediately shook their heads – if they called themselves journalists, they explained, no one would talk to them.

Independent Journalists Share Their Best Practices for Cultivating Audiences

At the 2025 International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy, winners of ICFJ’s inaugural News Creator Award discussed how they successfully navigate the terrain. They shared concrete strategies focused on content, community, storytelling and sustainability, offering valuable insights for peers seeking to connect meaningfully with audiences and solidify their place in the evolving media ecosystem.

News Creators ‘Redefining What Journalism Can Be’ Win Inaugural ICFJ Award

Independent news creators from eight countries have been selected for ICFJ’s inaugural News Creator Award for Excellence in Independent Video Journalism. The awardees represent a diverse range of media platforms and storytelling approaches, from longform videos on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement to reels challenging misconceptions of so-called “green mining” in