Welcome to independent creator journalism

If you’re interested in creator-style journalism made and distributed independently, this newsletter is for you. 

A seismic shift is underway. Gen Z (and Alpha right behind them) are learning about our world and seeking info directly from independent voices. They’re ditching the old-school news sources their folks trust and going straight to indie voices. They're all about TikTok, YouTube, Substack, and other emerging platforms – places where they can interact with creators directly and, in many cases, without paying for a subscription.

Two big groups are stepping up to create content for this hungry audience: First, journalists who see they can reach massive audiences and make a solid living by doing their own thing across platforms, no traditional news orgs needed. Secondly, more and more influencers are identifying as journalists as they do everything from green screen commentary to first person reporting, some directly from war zones.

But here's the deal: The news industry isn't exactly rolling out the red carpet for this change. Big media is busy trying to drag audiences back to their brands even as people's habits are saying they're sticking with indie creators. So why not focus some energy on supporting indie creator journalism and establishing norms so we know what top-notch, fact-based indie work looks like.

I'm Liz, been in the news biz for a while. I started out in the digital trenches at AOL and washingtonpost.com, then got to know communities through Gannett's local newsrooms, and most recently was lucky enough to work with the amazing team at Vox, the gold standard of explanatory journalism. Now, I'm wrapping up a fellowship at Columbia Journalism School where I've been cooking up Project C—a collective to support creators, whether they're from traditional newsrooms or just grabbed a smartphone and went for it.

This newsletter is where I'll share all of the latest and greatest as we figure out how to support the next wave of indie news producers. We’ll primarily focus on video creators across platforms (because that’s where Gen Z and Alpha are spending most of their time). Hit me up in the comments or shoot me a DM to chat about what you're seeing out there or where you need help.

This is a movement, y'all. We've all gotta come together to pave the way forward. Indie creator journalism is gonna shape how folks see democracy and the world in the years to come. So let's get after it.

Each issue will also drop some dope links to thought pieces and standout work in the indie news creator space because recognizing indie creator journalism as legit journalism means shining a light on the best of the best.

Stay tuned for more. xoxo - Liz

Things to make you think 

A few links to get your brain ticking

• At ISOJ in Austin, two traditional journalists sat down with two creator journalists to talk about where they diverge, what they have in common and how to continue to build bridges and share learnings. It’s magic.

• Funding to creators is surging, per The Information’s Kaya Yurieff and Akash Pasricha. If we want to grab some of that for journalism creators, it’s important to understand why. [subscription required]

• 58 percent of news consumers place as much trust in independent content creators as they do in established news outlets, per a new Accenture study.

very good work

• Documentarian Bisan Owda reports from Gaza [wizard_bisan1 - Instagram]

• Europe's cocaine habit is devastating South America [Sam Ellis/Search Party -YouTube]

• What’s really happening at CERN [Cleo Abram/Huge If True - YouTube]

• Who could replace Sunak? [TLDR News - YouTube]

• Le Royaume-Uni va envoyer tous les migrants illégaux au Rwanda [HugoDécrypte - YouTube]

And hey, if you spot some killer indie creator journalism out there, tag me or hit me up at [email protected]. Let's keep this convo going! #projectC