They're Calling It "the Content Creator Election." Here's How to Handle the New Press Corps.
C-SPAN is putting YouTube livestreams on cable, former network stars are broadcasting on their own, and one in five Americans regularly gets news from news influencers. Here's what superintendents, police chiefs, mayors, nonprofit leaders, attorneys and business owners should do when a creator, not a reporter, comes calling.
By Matt Caron
Key Takeaways
Creators are now part of election-night coverage. C-SPAN is simulcasting two YouTube creators on C-SPAN2 and C-SPAN3, and former network journalists are hosting their own streams.
The audience is real. Pew found 21% of U.S. adults regularly get news from news influencers, including 38% of adults under 30.
Most creators are not journalists, and many say so. They comment, explain and react more than they report. That changes how you prepare.
Treat every request like a media request. Vet the outlet, set ground rules, record your own copy and give everyone the same facts.
Don't just answer creators. Become a source people seek out, with your own video and audio built on accuracy.
On Tuesday night, for the first time in more than 20 years, Jim Acosta won't be working election night for a mainstream TV network.
The former CNN correspondent, who left the network last year after nearly 18 years, is hosting his own live broadcast from the University of Virginia, streamed on YouTube and Substack. Scott MacFarlane, who resigned from CBS News in March, will co-host election coverage for the MeidasTouch network. His pitch: "There will be no teleprompters and no scripts."
Rashida Jones, the former head of MSNBC who now runs Piers Morgan's company Uncensored, told The Guardian she expects these midterms to be remembered as "the content creator election."
Even C-SPAN is adapting. Alongside its nonpartisan flagship coverage, it will simulcast The Young Turks' progressive livestream on C-SPAN2 and Patrick Bet-David's conservative PBD Podcast stream on C-SPAN3, according to The Desk.
If you lead a school district, police department, town, nonprofit, law firm or small business, this is about more than one night. The people who cover you are changing. Your next interview request may come from someone with a phone, a ring light and a loyal following.
The Numbers Behind the Shift
Traditional news isn't going away. An estimated 42.3 million people watched TV coverage on election night 2024, The Guardian reported. And Pew Research Center's latest news platform survey found 63% of U.S. adults still get news from television at least sometimes.
But the direction is clear.
Preferences are moving. Between 2025 and 2026, the share of Americans who prefer TV for news fell from 34% to 28%. The share who prefer social media rose from 14% to 19%.
YouTube keeps growing. The share of Americans who regularly get news on YouTube rose from 23% in 2020 to 34% in 2026, per Pew. Facebook is still first at 40%.
News influencers have a steady audience. About one in five U.S. adults (21%) say they regularly get news from news influencers, Pew found in 2025. That jumps to 38% among adults 18 to 29.
Most of that audience isn't hunting for creators. Pew found 69% of people who regularly get news from influencers mostly just come across it. Your story can reach people through a creator's feed whether you planned for it or not.
The Reuters Institute's Digital News Report 2026 adds context. About 15% of Americans say most or all of their news needs are met by news creators. Only about 3% rely on creators alone. Creators are mostly used alongside traditional media, not instead of it.
The report also found creators are widely seen as more entertaining and easier to understand than traditional outlets, but often less trustworthy and less impartial. That tension is the whole story for communicators.
Creators Aren't One Thing
"Creator" covers a lot of ground. The Reuters Institute sorts news creators into commentary, investigation, explanation and specialism. In the United States, many of the most-mentioned names are strident commentators from one side of the political divide or the other.
Most have no newsroom background. A 2024 Pew study found 77% of the news influencers it examined had no current or past affiliation with a news organization.
Local creators matter, too. A Montclair State University study of New Jersey news influencers, summarized by Nieman Lab, found about half of their posts (49.8%) were highly specific to New Jersey. But most influencers didn't see themselves as journalists. They tended to react to and contextualize existing news rather than break stories, and attribution to original sources was inconsistent.
In North Carolina, creator Hannah Preston told The News & Observer that livestreams and coverage of public meetings can make government more accessible where local news is thin. She was also blunt about her role: "I make it very clear I am not a journalist."
That honesty is useful. It tells you what to expect. Some creators will check facts with you, and some won't. Some will quote you in full, and some will clip you in a few seconds. Many will bring a point of view. And where local newsrooms have shrunk, as we covered in our look at news deserts, a creator may be the only one covering the meeting.
How to Handle a Creator's Request
You don't need a separate rulebook. You need your media rulebook, applied with care.
Vet them like any outlet
Look at their recent work. Who is the audience? Do they correct mistakes? Do they have a political lean or a business relationship with someone in your story? A large following is not the same as credibility, and a small one doesn't mean you should ignore them.
Ask about format and ground rules
Is it live or edited? Long-form or a 30-second clip? Will they run your full answer? Get it in writing when you can. Remember that "no teleprompters and no scripts" works both ways. Live, unscripted formats leave little room to walk back a careless line.
Keep your own recording
Record every interview, or ask for the raw file. If a clip strips out context, you'll have the full exchange to post yourself.
Give everyone the same facts
Don't hand creators a different version than you give reporters, or the other way around. Consistency protects you when someone compares the two, and someone will.
Don't pay for coverage you present as independent
If a business pays a creator or gives free products for a favorable mention, the FTC's Endorsement Guides say that material connection must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. Government agencies, nonprofits and campaigns face their own rules, so check with counsel before any paid creator partnership.
Correct errors quickly and politely
If a creator gets something wrong, reach out directly with the facts and the documents. Be specific and calm. Public fights with creators who have loyal audiences rarely end well.
What It Means for Your Organization
School districts
Creators are livestreaming and clipping public meetings, and your board meeting can be one of them. Brief your board chair and superintendent before contentious meetings, post full meeting video yourself and answer creator questions through the same channel as reporters. Protect student privacy every time.
Police and public safety
Bystander and creator video often reaches the public before your first statement. Get verified facts out fast through your own channels, and never get ahead of what the department can confirm. Treat a creator's records request or interview request with the same professionalism as a reporter's.
Municipal leaders
Where local coverage is thin, a creator who livestreams your meetings may be your town's main news source. Know who they are. Invite them to briefings, give them public documents and be on the record.
Campaigns and candidates
The day after the election, the work shifts to governing or explaining a loss. Creator audiences will keep watching. Plan for creator interviews with the same prep you'd give a debate, and keep every claim sourced.
Nonprofit advocates
Creators can carry your cause to people traditional media miss, especially younger audiences. Pick partners whose values and accuracy you trust, disclose any paid relationship and give them stories, not slogans.
Attorneys
A creator's live show is not a controlled setting. Think hard before commenting on an active matter on an unscripted stream, and weigh your professional obligations and your client's interests first. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
Small businesses and creators
A good review from a local creator can drive real traffic. Keep paid partnerships disclosed, and if you're a creator yourself, accuracy and clear sourcing are how you earn the trust audiences don't yet give the format.
Be the Source People Seek Out
The networks are borrowing from creators, too. NBC News planned a mobile-first, vertical video livestream for election night. ABC News said its goal is "reaching the audience where they are."
You can do the same. Pew found 32% of U.S. adults at least sometimes get news from podcasts, and Pew's 2025 survey found 49% of people who regularly get news from news influencers called authenticity a major reason.
That points to a clear opportunity. A superintendent explaining a budget, a chief walking through a new policy or a nonprofit director telling a client's story in their own voice can reach people directly. The difference between you and a commentator is that you are the primary source.
Do it with care. Short, honest video. A podcast with real conversations, not talking points. Captions and transcripts. Your own website as the home for the full record, which also helps you show up when people ask AI tools about you, as we explained in AI Search Is Rewriting Your Reputation.
Want to be ready when a creator calls? Book a free consultation with Caron Communications. We help leaders prepare for interviews in every format, from the evening news to a live stream.
Why Newsroom Experience Matters Here
Caron Communications is a locally owned boutique media and PR firm in Wethersfield, Connecticut, founded in February 2025 by Matt Caron, a former FOX61/CW20 news anchor, chief investigator and political reporter who previously worked at WWLP 22News and earned three Emmy nominations.
We've sat on both sides of the camera. Our team brings more than 20 years of experience, works 100% in-house with no subcontractors, and offers 24/7 on-call support on a retainer or project basis. Our Services include media relations, strategic communications and training. Learn more in Our Story.
Ready to speak for yourself? See our podcast production and studio space rental options at our New Britain studio, and read why authenticity still wins. If you're writing for the opinion page instead, read our guide to getting op-eds published.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a news influencer?
Pew Research Center defines news influencers as people with a large social media following who often post about news or political and social issues. Most are not affiliated with a news organization.
Should I treat a creator like a journalist?
Treat the request with the same professionalism, but prepare differently. Ask about format, editing and audience, record the interview and give the same facts you give reporters.
Do creators have to disclose paid partnerships?
For business endorsements, FTC guidance says material connections such as payment or free products must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. Public agencies, nonprofits and campaigns should check their own rules with counsel.
Are creators replacing local news?
Not entirely. Research shows most people use creators alongside traditional media, and many creators comment on news rather than report it. In places with little local coverage, though, they can become a main source.
How can Caron Communications help?
We help leaders vet requests, prepare for interviews and build their own video and podcast presence. Schedule a free consultation, browse more Insights or read our FAQs.
Your message, in your voice, on every screen. Caron Communications helps you get it right on air, online and in the feed. Book your free consultation, call 860.800.2023 or explore our studio booking options.
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