The Creator Economy Just Moved Into the Newsroom

You already know it: younger audiences aren’t visiting your homepage.
They’re on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn — getting news from creators, not brands.

That shift isn’t theoretical anymore. It’s operational.
And if your newsroom doesn’t act soon, you’ll lose visibility, traffic, and future audience loyalty.

What Changed

Nicholas Thompson’s been doing this for years. CNN and WIRED are just catching up.

• The Atlantic: Nicholas publishes his daily “Most Interesting Thing in Tech” to over 1.6 million LinkedIn followers and writes a monthly newsletter with 500 K subscribers. That newsletter drives real revenue through sponsorships and brand partnerships. I worked with Nick back at Condé Nast — he understood early that audience trust comes from people, not just brands.
• CNN International launched CNN Creators on October 13 — a new show and social series centered on digital-native storytellers covering AI, tech, and culture.
• WIRED stopped hiding its journalists behind the brand. They’re now treated like influencers. The result: +800% video views on Instagram and a 94% jump in subscriptions. Adweek
• AI Platforms are following the same logic. They continue to prioritize social accounts, Reddit discussions, and user-generated content in citations — not traditional publishers.

This isn’t about hype. It’s about changing business models to match how audiences actually consume information.

At NewzDash, we see it in the data too:

• Google is surfacing more short-form videos and Reels directly in SERPs and even in Google Discover.

• YouTube remains one of the top domains visible in Discover results across markets.

• X (Twitter) has started climbing the top-20 list — a clear signal that social-driven creators are eating into publisher visibility.

According to NewzDash SERP Frequency data, short-form video visibility in Google SERPs for trending news queries in the U.S. has doubled over the past 12 months — from around 4 percent to 8 percent.

That means roughly 1 in 12 trending news queries now includes short-form video results in Google’s search features, up 100 percent year over year.

Why It Matters

Younger audiences don’t go to news websites. They get news through people they trust.
The algorithm rewards authenticity, not logos.

If your reporters, editors, or even executives aren’t visible on social platforms, you’re invisible to half the internet.
Short-form video now dominates attention:

That’s your next audience — and they’re not waiting for you to catch up.

What to Do Right Now

Let’s skip the vague “embrace creators” advice. Here’s what actually works:

1. Empower journalists who want to act like creators.
   Stop worrying about them “taking their followers” if they leave.
   If they build audience under your brand, everyone wins.
    
2. Recruit differently.
   Your next contributor might be a TikTok explainer with credibility, not a traditional columnist.
   We’re already seeing hybrid roles: creator-reporters with beats in politics, health, and culture.
    
3. Encourage leadership to be public.
   Nicholas Thompson does it. Jessica Lessin (The Information), Bari Weiss (The Free Press), and Anna Palmer (Punchbowl News) do it too.
   CEOs and editors are part of the visibility engine now.
    
4. Invest in short-form video content.
   Not as a “social experiment,” but as an editorial format.
   Post story explainers, live-reaction clips, and data insights where your audience actually watches — YouTube Shorts, Reels, TikTok.
    
5. Expand beyond pure news into culture, tech, trends and social signals.
   Younger audiences care about the intersection of news, culture, identity, and digital behavior. CNN’s new show speaks to that explicitly. 
    
6. Track results by visibility, not just vanity metrics.
   Look at referral spikes from embedded video clips, AI Overview mentions, and Discover slots tied to creator content.
   If you’re not measuring cross-surface visibility, you’re blind. 
   Your footprint isn’t just site visits — it’s also your audience reach across YouTube, Instagram, X, and every other platform where your content or journalists show up.
    

What Could Break If You Ignore This

• Talent drain. Journalists who want to grow audiences will leave for outlets that let them.
• Audience loss. The next generation won’t “age into” your homepage. They’ll follow someone else.
• Visibility decline. Google, YouTube, and TikTok all prioritize personalities and faces in results. If your newsroom doesn’t have them, you’ll disappear from those modules.
• Brand stagnation. Your account may still post headlines, but creators will own the conversation.

In Short

Seven years ago, I proposed a creator-driven strategy at my previous company.
The answer back then: “What if they leave?”

Today, the real question is:
What happens if they don’t join you in the first place?

Action You Can Take in the Next Hour

• Start internally
  Gather social stats for everyone in your organization — journalists, freelancers, leadership, even interns.
  Look at followers, posting frequency, and engagement rates.

• Then, identify your top 10 individuals who already post regularly and show growth potential.
  Offer them real support: budget for equipment, short-form video training, or even paid time to create.
  But don’t over-manage it. Their voice and authenticity are why they connect with audiences in the first place.

• Next, expand the pipeline
  Look beyond traditional hires — bring in non-traditional creators who already cover your niche.
  They’ll add reach, diversity, and new discovery surfaces you’re currently missing.

• Finally, write clear but flexible social guidelines.
  Protect your brand, but don’t smother creativity.
  Set expectations around tone, attribution, and disclosure — and then let your creators speak freely.

That’s how you build a newsroom that thrives in the creator economy instead of competing with it.

That’s how it starts.
Creators are already in the newsroom. The only question is whether they work for you or compete with you.