News influencers: An alternative to traditional publications?
A newscast typically involves a well-dressed professional dishing out the facts, occasionally cutting away to an on-site reporter or another segment.
On the other hand, news influencers may distill the latest events in a 15-second TikTok while wearing casual clothing.
Others may discuss it over a cup of coffee in their weekly podcast.
They do not match the support and viewership of traditional outlets, but their influence continues to grow.
That is why the Reuters Institute examined this emerging trend in five countries.
News influencers from around the world
News influencers are usually regular people discussing recent events on online platforms like YouTube and TikTok.
Their unorthodox reporting style and platform choice appeal to a growing number of people who seek alternative views.
These content creators still have a limited influence, so the organization focused on five countries.
Moreover, Reuters Institute limited its scope to six of the most popular online networks:
- X
- YouTube
- Snapchat
- TikTok
The institution also compared them to news brands in the same regions.
Here is what they found:
United States
Reuters Institute says the US has a higher number of people watching YouTube for news than other countries.
X is another major network for alternative voices, where owner Elon Musk encouraged news influencers to share content.
One of the biggest names on the platform is Tucker Carlson. He used to work for Fox News but has gained 11.6 million followers on X.
The second most popular news influencer is Joe Rogan. He hosts the Joe Rogan Experience podcast on YouTube with roughly 16 million subscribers.
His podcast is also available on the music streaming service Spotify.
However, the contentious nature of their content often doesn’t appeal to advertisers.
READ: The top 10 influencers using ChatGPT
That is why they turn to donations or selling merchandise.
On the other hand, mainstream news brands like CNN accounted for 42% of online mentions.
Despite this dominance, these outlets still struggle on TikTok.
News influencers like @underthedesknews featuring V Spehar dominate the platform.
United Kingdom
UK-based traditional news brands have a strong presence on social media networks like Twitter and Facebook. However, they are slow in adapting to newer networks.
That enabled news influencers to become the key voices on Instagram and TikTok for those under 35.
Analyzing overall open responses reveals BBC and Sky News gained the most attention on Facebook and X.
Younger news influencers challenge these traditional brands on YouTube and TikTok.
The most popular one in the United Kingdom is James O’ Brien, known for his viral clips.
Robert Peston, a political correspondent from traditional broadcaster ITV, is in second place.
Surprisingly, Joe Rogan’s popularity crosses into the UK’s third place.
France
A younger audience fuels conventional and alternative news sources in France.
The most mentioned news brand is Brut, a digital-first, youth-focused organization.
It has over 6.5 million TikTok followers and two million YouTube subscribers.
Le Monde newspaper and Mediapart’s digital-first investigations occupy second and third place.
On the other hand, news influencer Hugo Décrypte (literally Hugo Deciphers… the news) is the top alternative voice with 2.6 million YouTube subscribers and 5.7 million TikTok followers.
Surprisingly, he goes toe-to-toe against conventional outlets, receiving more online mentions than newspapers Le Monde, Le Figaro and Liberation combined.
Right-leaning commentator Pascal Praud follows in second place with 317,000 X followers.
Then, Hugo Clement trails at third place with 1.3 million Instagram followers and 868,000 TikTok followers.
Argentina
Reuters Institute says mainstream brands continue to attract more attention than news influencers. Their top platform of choice is Instagram, but more are watching TikTok and YouTube.
The top conventional voice is TN (Todo Noticias) with 6.1 million X followers and 4.1 million YouTube subscribers.
La Nacion newspaper is the second largest with 4.1 million X followers and 2.6 million YouTube subscribers.
Next is C5N news with 3.1 million X followers and 2.35 million YouTube subscribers.
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On the other hand, Jorge Lanata is the top news influencer. He’s a radio host and commentator with 429,000 YouTube subscribers.
TV news correspondent Jonatan Viale follows with 1.1 million X subscribers.
Radio and TV host Eduardo Fainmann occupies third place with 1.1 million X followers and 439,000 Instagram followers.
Brazil
Reuters Institute says Brazil and Argentina’s news trends have a similar pattern.
Conventional news brands like Globo, Record and CNN Brazil have branched out to social media channels.
Globo leads the pack with 15 million X followers and 3 million Instagram followers.
Then, Brazil has Record as its second most popular outlet with 5.1 million X followers and 5.6 million Instagram followers.
CNN Brazil is third with 4.8 million YouTube followers and 4.5 million Instagram followers.
On the other hand, celebrity journalists and influencers dominate alternative voices.
Political commentator Alexandre Garcia is on top with 4.2 million X followers and 2.7 million YouTube subscribers.
Celebrity journalist Leo Dias comes next with 15.6 million Instagram followers.
Lastly, conservative commentator earns third place with 2.4 million X followers.
Conclusion
Reuters Institute examined conventional news outlets and news influencers and found trends in five countries.
Some like the US and France have strong alternative voices like Joe Rogan and Hugo Décrypte.
Others like Brazil and Argentina have politicians and celebrity influencers dominating their online spaces.
They show user needs that traditional outlets neglect and news influencers meet.
That is why conventional news brands and journalists must study these trends to better serve audiences.
Read this other Inquirer Tech article to learn how some outlets are already doing that.
