"Younger audiences behave this way most strongly, but they're not alone. Vertical video has quietly become a cross-generational news discovery system. All age groups are consuming more online news video each year, and the share of people watching social videos as a new source has risen from 52% to 65% since 2020, according to the 2025 Reuters Institute Digital News Report."
"Parts of this shift are already in motion. Wired, for example, has launched several journalist-led video series and seen surges in reach and subscription growth. Outside traditional newsrooms, creator studios like Johnny Harris's have already built production models where journalists are hired to front a standalone channel or account. They succeed for a simple reason: They offer stable, recognizable identities. Algorithms understand them. Audiences know what they're getting."
Audiences follow identifiable creators more than abstract newsroom brands, and recommendation systems amplify creator-centered discovery. Vertical short-form video has become a cross-generational entry point for news, with social video usage for news rising from 52% to 65% since 2020. News organizations and independent creator studios are rapidly filling the vertical space and sometimes command more attention than traditional outlets. Journalist-fronted series and creator channels benefit from stable, recognizable identities that algorithms favor and audiences trust. As AI-generated content grows, human storytellers gain value because audiences remain skeptical of AI transparency and trustworthiness.
Read at Nieman Lab
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