This week I had the opportunity to join my nieces’ Girl Scout troop to talk about staying safe on the internet and the power of content creation. Twelve 10-11 year olds gathered close to share how they use the internet and what kind of videos they watch. Under all of their answers you could see their curious spirit shine through; they were eager to watch videos to get information on everything from bugs to celebrity marriages.

We split into groups to practice making information-providing videos. They hardly needed any prompting. Every group had multiple great ideas for a video that would provide information or help someone solve a problem, and they were all able to easily identify the target audience for their video. (If you want your heart to hurt a little, one group made a video explaining Gen Alpha slang and identified their audience as “old people.” When I asked what that meant, they said, “Maybe like 25 year olds?”)

It’s not surprising that they seemed completely at ease with this assignment. Technology is generational, and they have grown up using or watching others use social media, FaceTime, and Zoom. They were comfortable in front of the camera, and the videos they made were the style of the creator videos that we see perform well: unpolished, direct-to-camera speaking. They innately understood that they had knowledge that was worth sharing with others, and they could learn from others’ expertise. I hope this generation continues to bring this inclusive thinking as they build their media diets.

Our inaugural training fellowship begins in mid-October, and we’re thrilled that so many experts are joining us. Each trainer brings with them a lifetime of experience and will work with the class through discussions and assignments, where creators will put their learnings into action in their own work.

The Jimmy Kimmel suspension spurred a lot of talk about independent media. Independent can mean many things—independent from the government, independent from a media conglomerate—and supporting independent media is important for a strong democracy.

Information-focused content creators are an important part of the independent media landscape. We’ve known for many years that audiences are drawn to accounts run by people over brands, and now, for the first time, more Americans get news from social media than from any other source. Information-focused creators are trusted within their communities, whether they are drawn together through geography, interest, gender, race, or other factors.

News Creator Corps is investing in these content creators through training and partnerships because we know they have an outsized impact in the fight against misinformation. Donating to NCC is a direct investment in independent media, and we’d love to have your support.

Ryan Y. Kellett started tracking his media consumption in May 2025.

Anna O’Brien shares her secret sauce: Luck creates viral moments; communities build careers.

Creator Pratika Katiyar reflects on how passion can overshadow facts, which puts credibility at risk. And once you lose credibility, you lose trust, the currency of content in today’s social media ecosystem.

Here’s what we’ve heard since launch: This is so needed, and it needs to be bigger. Our ambition is to build on our pilot and launch several classes next year, bringing the training program to high school classes, college students, and current journalists, in addition to trusted creators. You can support our mission by following us on LinkedIn, amplifying our posts and connecting us to potential partners and funders.