There's a persistent assumption that creators don't care about accuracy. Our new research says otherwise, and it also reveals where there's room to grow.

News Creator Corps, led by Maya Srikrishnan, surveyed 36 creators across a range of platforms and topics—politics, pop culture, local issues, even dogs—to understand where they get the information they share with their audiences.

What we found is that creators aren't just pulling from headlines. They're using a mix of mainstream news outlets, primary documents like court records and government data, human sources, and their own lived experience. More than two-thirds of respondents who create explainers and commentary use mainstream national outlets—the New York Times, NPR, CNN, the AP, and Politico were cited most often. More than 58% use primary documents, human sources, and firsthand experience. And more than half use alternative, nonprofit, or hyperlocal outlets like the Texas Tribune, ProPublica, Hell Gate, and Oaklandside.

A few takeaways worth sitting with:

Creators consider their personal experience part of their expertise. Traditional journalists are often discouraged from bringing their own experience into their work. For creators, that lived experience is a source of information—and it's a big part of why audiences trust them.

Creators focus on what's missing. They make coverage and sourcing decisions based on the information gaps they see in their communities and the perspectives their audiences aren't getting from mainstream media. The creators who conduct interviews prioritize voices and stories they feel need to be heard. Those covering on-the-ground events assess whether something has already been adequately covered before deciding where to spend their time and energy.

Creators care about getting it right. All but one of the creators surveyed fact-check or verify information before sharing it—checking multiple sources, looking for primary documents, and using tools like SIFT. Most avoid using AI for research, and those who do describe it as a starting point for background, not a replacement for verification.

Source transparency is still a work in progress. Less than half of the creators surveyed say they always or often cite their sources. This is one of the clearest opportunities for growth, and it's something we actively teach our fellows to do. Audiences deserve to know where information comes from, and creators who cite their sources build even more trust with the communities they serve.

The full picture here challenges the narrative that creators are careless with information and audiences are naive for trusting them. What we're seeing is a group of people who take sourcing seriously, who understand their audiences deeply, and who are already doing much of what we'd want any information provider to do. The opportunity now is to keep building the infrastructure that supports them in doing it even better.

We hosting a cocktail party on July 14 in Brooklyn that features a conversation with creator Eliza Orlins, a silent auction, and plenty of fun surprises. It’s a fun night out with friends that supports the trusted voices in your feed. Grab your ticket before we reach capacity.