It’s been 50 days since News Creator Corps officially launched, and we’ve spent most of our time talking to creators, journalists, newsroom leaders, social media consumers, and students. I’ve spoken with college classes from Staten Island to Missouri (West Coast, invite me!) and there’s a undeniable trend: Gen Z audiences are using creator content as a jumping off point, often then digging for more details from more traditional media sources or public records.

I visited the University of Missouri shortly after the killing of Charlie Kirk, and I asked students how they found out about the shooting. They spoke about the interweaving of connections on social platforms: a feed that combines posts from friends, creators, businesses, media organizations, sports teams, and more. They often first heard about the shooting either from a text from a loved one or in their scroll, and they told me they then immediately went to a search engine to verify or learn more context. A few things in the search results led them to believe this was accurate news, namely the number of news organizations with posts (many news organizations with stories was more likely to feel true) and their familiarity with the news organizations.

A new study from polling company Global Strategy Group reiterates this: 82% of news consumers verify current events/politics information from social media or online sources either sometimes or frequently.

If you are someone who is queasy about the future of news in the hands of non-journalists, this might bring a sigh of relief. And while fact checking and a media literate population is always a good idea, it’s not the end of the story.

As creators take on this role of being the new 1A or homepage, it makes their work even more important. Before we can dig into the details of a story, we have to know it exists, so the selection of the stories that creators share with their audiences is a critical part of their role as community messengers. When the amount of information about the world feels overwhelming, curation is key. This is one of the reasons I love the work that Jessica Yellin does at News Not Noise; I can count on her newsletter to bring me up to speed on the stories that matter the most.

The GSG study outlines active vs. passive news consumers, noting that 59% of those surveyed said they actively seek out news, versus 41% who rely on occasional osmosis-by-feed.

The definitions are important here.

What I didn’t see noted in the report is how they categorized the action of following a creator or news organization on a social platform. I would argue that by adding The New York Times or Katie Grossbard to your feed, you are making an active choice to add information to your life. If I want to consume more parenting content, and I add Dr. Becky to my Instagram feed, I might not be actively seeking out a concrete story on a Tuesday at 9 p.m., but I am making the choice to engage with it and learn when the algorithm brings it to me. I don’t think that’s passive just because I’m not typing a media organization’s website URL into the browser window.

I spoke to Nieman Lab’s Neel Dhanesha about what we’re building at NCC, especially around the nuance and context that creators bring to their information-sharing work, but these recent insights have me thinking about the entire sharing spectrum for creators, starting with introducing their audiences to news stories.

What we’re doing is working. Last week, our fellows learned about public records, and they took to their feeds to incorporate documents into their work. Many showed their audiences how to find public records, too, and one even heard from a community member that they were inspired to file their own FOIA. The creators in our program reach more than one million people, but the ripple effect of NCC will far surpass that.

You can support our mission by following us on LinkedIn, amplifying our posts and connecting us to potential partners and funders.

We’re hosting our first in-person workshop in Philadelphia, home to lots of mini newsrooms, independent journalism and creators across all beats and mediums. We’re meeting at a super fun venue for an interactive event where we’ll learn from Michael Morisy of MuckRock, discuss how our work as creators impacts our networks, and understand how to cite facts and public records.

Spots are very limited, so RSVP today.

Abridged sees creators as a critical component of their mission to authentically cover the mosaic of communities that make up the region.

Misinformation spreads most easily when identity biases and homogenous networks reinforce each other.

Caliber is launching a SaySo, a news and information app curated to user interests, powered by the expertise and passion of independent creators, and built on transparency. Their platform brings together the voices of vetted creators to help users understand the topics they care about most through credible content with context, perspective and clarity. The user-curated algorithm also provides personalized content experiences that allow your work to reach those who are seeking it most. They are inviting a select group of trusted, mission-aligned creators to join the Founding Creator Program — an exclusive group that will be the first to onboard and help shape the future of how information is shared and monetized. If you’re interested in learning more directly from the team behind the app and exploring what it means to be a founding creator, please reach out Courtney Christine ([email protected]), include your social channels, and mention NCC in your email.