What content creators want newsrooms to know****

At API, we’ve spent the better part of 2025 diving deeply into the question of how news people can collaborate with independent creators. But it also makes sense for newsrooms to understand the creators’ perspectives — what they want newsrooms to know about them, their work, their values and their formulas for success.

As you’ll see from our latest piece by Marlene Harris-Taylor, the common denominator — as with any collaboration — is mutual trust. For example, creators want traditional news people to trust their voice and vibe. As one influencer told us: “You’re hiring someone for their voice, so let them use it.”

With studies showing people are increasingly turning to influencers for news, the need for news organizations to find ways to stay connected to audiences and their shifting preferences is greater than ever, especially when it comes to young people.

As a Pew Research Center report this week noted: “Young adults define what a ‘journalist’ is more broadly than older Americans – with many saying it can include podcast hosts, newsletter writers and social media content creators.”

To help publishers navigate this tricky terrain, we’ve also published today a list of frequently asked questions about influencer collaborations.

If you’d like to talk more about this topic, reach out to us at hello@pressinstitute.org.

• **Related: **Check out our guide to influencer collaborations.

News In Focus Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.**

Civic Discourse & Democracy****

>> New from API: **Where civic culture meets sustainability: Announcing API’s 2026 Local News Summits ******

We’ll be tackling three big topics at our Local News Summits next year: whether young people feel invited into civic life (in March in West Palm Beach, Fla.), whether local debate is healthier because of local media’s work (in June in Pittsburgh) and whether people can stay informed without walking away from the news altogether (in October in Boise, Idaho). If you’re a newsroom leader building civic involvement or thinking about your impact in the community, sign up for updates.

>> **The Guardian launches Building power, a landmark reporting series on civic action (The Guardian) ******

The philanthropically funded effort will bring attention “to the people and communities organizing to protect fundamental rights,” the Guardian said in an article about the project. “At a time when much of the national conversation remains fixed on Washington, the Guardian’s new initiative will shift focus to the people and places driving civic renewal from the ground up,” it said.

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Culture & Inclusion****

>> The offices only a newsperson could love (The New Yorker)****

Zach Helfand writes about Ann Hermes’s photography series “Local Newsrooms,” which captures “lives lived in these dying places across the country, from Juneau to St. Louis.” Said Hermes: “You see the detritus of years and years and years piled up in these places.”

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Community Engagement & Trust****

**>> Unpack labels we assume everyone understands (Trusting News) ******

Is there a difference between “commentary” and “news analysis?” What exactly is a “reporter’s notebook?” Those labels may mean something to people inside the newsroom, but audiences can be forgiven if they are confused by them. Trusting News’ Mollie Muchna points to examples of ways to explain these labels to audiences so they understand what you’re providing and the process behind it.

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Revenue & Resilience****

**>> Spokane newspaper reveals deadline for nonprofit switch (The Seattle Times) ******

Brier Dudley gives an update of the Spokesman-Review’s transition to nonprofit status, saying it’s going slower than some had expected. The transfer is expected “in the first half of 2026,” according to the newspaper’s executive editor. The Cowles family said last spring that it would donate the paper to a nonprofit.

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What else you need to know****

🔏 New York Times sues Pentagon over First Amendment rights (The New York Times)

💲URL Media secures $5 million Knight Foundation grant (URL Media)

🔮 CNN strikes prediction data partnership with Kalshi (Axios)

🔍 Trump administration orders enhanced vetting for applicants of H-1B visa (Reuters)

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Weekend reads****

+ 10 ways I use AI to be a better journalist (Pete Pachal for Fast Company)

+ Watch: These 5th grade journalists challenge perceptions of their city’s schools (PBS News)

+ The surprising power of getting your picture taken in prison (Prison Journalism Project)

+ What 20 years with local reporters taught us about impact in international journalism (Poynter)