While many publishers have already waded into TikTok, hiring their own stars to reach new audiences, the future may also require them to learn how to work with influencers.

So says Massimo Barsotti, EidosMedia chief marketing and chief product officer, in an INMA product and tech blog this week.

“It was only a matter of time before influencers came for the news,” he says.

Barsotti quotes Pew Research Center that roughly 20 per cent of Americans “regularly get news from influencers on social media”. That number is even higher (37 per cent) when you narrow it down to adults under 30.

“For news publishers, whether these often-inexperienced interlopers are a threat or an ally in the changing news landscape is still up for discussion. For news consumers, questions surround the accuracy and reliability of their reporting,” he says.

More than three-quarters (77 per cent) of news influencers have no affiliation or background with a news organisation, and their favourite platform is Twitter/X.

“Pew tells us 85 per cent of news influencers are on this site, but they are not limited to it. About 50 per cent are also on Instagram, and 44 per cent are on YouTube. While 27 per cent of news influencers identify as Republican, conservative, or pro-Donald Trump, 21 per cent call themselves Democratic or liberal. There is, however, a clear divide among the sexes – 63 per cent of news influencers are men.

“TikTok, as is so often the case, shakes things up a bit. While men outnumber women about two-to-one on other platforms, on TikTok the split is more evenly distributed with 50 per cent being men and 45 per cent being women. The same goes for political identity on TikTok, where 25 per cent of influencers are right-leaning, and 28 per cent express a left-leaning political ideology.

A more personal touch

“Of the Americans who get news from news influencers, 65 per cent say influencers have ‘helped them better understand current events and civic issues.’ Meanwhile, 70 per cent say influencer-driven news is ‘at least somewhat different from the news they get from other sources.’ A minority (31 per cent) say they ‘feel a personal connection to a news influencer’.

While they report a mix of breaking news, opinions, and funny posts, viewers say they see an even mix of opinions they agree and disagree with (61 per cent). Meanwhile, 30 per cent say they mostly agree with what they see, while only 2 per cent disagree.

On the international stage, Barsotti says news influencer trends play out differently.

“For instance, Reuters looked at the US, UK, France, Brazil and Argentina. It found ‘news-related accounts of any kind are cited much more often in Brazil, the United States, and Argentina than they are in the United Kingdom or France. This is in line with greater use of social media for news in those countries.’

They also say that, in the US and Brazil, ‘there are a greater number of alternative news or individual accounts cited …’ In the UK, mainstream media brands still rule. Over in Argentina and France, they find themselves with a more even split, ‘where the most mentioned account overall is a young news creator.’

Unfortunately, even among the more traditional journalists, accuracy is not always high on the priority list.

Reuters noted: ‘We find that many of the most cited accounts belong to partisan political commentators (from left and right)” who have worked in traditional news media. Predictably, Reuters reported, “Some of these creators have been criticised for factual inaccuracies and for spreading conspiracies or misleading narratives, even as they are highly trusted by those who share their political views.’

“It’s only a matter of time before partnerships between influencers and news outlets cease to be unthinkable and become part of the news landscape. Jacob Granger wrote for Jounalism.co.uk that, in the past, publishers could have traded influencers’ credibility for publicity, but today, money is on the table.

“He predicted, ‘In 2025, newsrooms will run out of excuses for keeping influencers at arm’s length and the experimentation will begin.’

“Part of the experimentation, however, must include figuring out how to deal with a social media landscape rewarding ‘exaggerated and hostile’ takes, ‘rather than moderate and nuanced’ explanations from ‘an educated centrist establishment,’ according to John Burn-Murdoch, who wrote about the subject in the Financial Times.

“Take away the fact-checking requirements and liability traditional media is subject to, and you’ve got a recipe for trouble.

“How will newsrooms go about holding influencer partners accountable without compromising their authenticity? Granger hopes that, as the first publishers into the fire learn important lessons, they will share them with others.

“He is also more optimistic about the quality incentives for influencers: ‘Social audiences are more discriminating than we think. They crave accurate information and are prepared to vote with their clicks’.”

Barsotti says it’s not just publishers who should be sounding the warning siren; the public should be concerned about the news they are consuming.

“According to The Conversation, ‘A recent UNESCO survey found two-thirds of digital content creators failed to perform even basic fact-checking before sharing information. And the majority are unfamiliar with regulatory frameworks and international standards relating to digital communications.’

“In other words, while influencers may be good at making news more engaging, they are not too concerned with the veracity of the facts or quality of the opinions they share,” he says.

“While many publishers have already waded into the TikTok waters and are hiring their own stars to reach new audiences, the future may require them to learn how to work with influencers too.”