A New Era of News: Internet Journalists
When I first found my love for journalism and decided to major in it here at UO, I was met with some apprehension. My grandparents had lots of questions— how much money will you be making in a dying industry? What is your backup plan? Although traditional newspapers might not be valued as highly in a digital world, I personally believe that journalism, and its importance, is shifting— not dying.
Journalism and entertainment are being combined. This is seen through major productions like Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News or John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight both show this transition— in order to inform individuals in this technology-focused era, you must entertain them. Because of this, more and more individuals tune out classic broadcast journalism, looking for something that grabs their attention.
On average, Americans spend 7 hours and 4 minutes on their phones every day. We are consuming more information than ever before, and although individuals might not be picking up newspapers, they continue to look for data and knowledge through articles, posts and more recently— YouTube videos.
YouTube, a video platform emphasizing creator-centered content, was released in 2005 and has grown exponentially since then, bringing in $31.5 billion revenue in 2023 and reaching over 2.7 billion people monthly. Through the platform’s growth, creators have begun to use their channels to “report” or inform their audiences on stories, big and small.
News Channel 5 with Andrew Callahan reports and resources communities like the O’block in Chicago or San Francisco’s Tenderloin, talking to locals going through drug addiction and poverty, rejected by their government and district. Recently, Callahan and his cameraman communicated with a Coyote, an individual whose job is to help immigrants cross the US border from Mexico, and crossed the border illegally. They were arrested for 3 days with other illegal immigrants and left prison with footage intact.
Another example is Stephen Findeisen, known as Coffeezilla, a crypto-journalist well known for exposing Logan Paul, a fellow creator, after he created an NFT-based game called “CryptoZoo” and scammed his followers out of millions.
Hassan Abi, a streamer on Twitch and YouTube, reads the news and shares both his opinions and straight information regarding events— that his audience might not have ever known without tuning into a stream. He is political, mainly covering former president Donald Trump’s elections or indictments and, recently, Mitch McConnell’s plan to leave the Senate. Fellow streamer Ludwig Ahgren uses his secondary channel titled Mogul Moves to inform his audience of policy changes on both Twitch and YouTube, how it has already affected users, and what it means for the future of either platform— as well as other internet debates and events.
These are examples of real stories being shared and emphasized, although not through traditional journalism. And often, these videos get more views than an article surrounding a similar issue might. However, there are similar channels that, instead of highlighting important events, tear down other people and creators to get views.
Nick Green, known as Nickisnotgreen on his channel, is a commentary YouTuber who researches different TikTok trends, interesting creators, and instances that blew up on the internet. Similarly, creator Keemstar uses his channel DramaAlert to comment on other YouTubers' cancellations and apology videos. Other similar creators, like Moistcritical, use a “mask” of journalistic integrity to hide their actual motivation: to get views.
These creators, who spread negativity or judge interpersonal drama, package these cancellations as news—even though they are not. Although this shifting of content is generally positive, as it informs a younger generation of major current events, imposters like these can negatively impact the integrity of those trying to spread information—just as much misinformation is being posted all over the internet.
Regardless of intentions, there is one thing this new era of news is utilizing— creator or influencer-based content. On YouTube and across the TV entertainment industry, individuals clearly enjoy watching another person who either entertains them or understands them in a way. When comparing this to a traditional broadcast journalism format, with everyone dressed in suits and talking in monotone voices, this completely makes sense. Our generation is looking for people like ourselves on the screens, and YouTubers are able to easily create their own content without conforming to TV station standards or demands.
I think that this form of content, informative videos actually showing stories, will be the future of journalism. As fewer individuals choose to read, video content will be the new wave of keeping our generation informed on important current events and stories, resulting in a more well-rounded, educated audience.
