TikTok News Anchors Are Gaining Traction
While social platforms are deemphasizing news, some content creators are jumping into the journalism business
The Real Kellerman and News Daddy are just a couple of the TikTok news anchors gaining a following.
There was a time when Facebook seemed to be doing journalism a solid. Back in 2019, the Meta-owned company launched the Facebook Journalism Project, now rebranded as the Meta Journalism Project. It promised to dump $300 million into local newsrooms around the country to train working journalists and fight disinformation. It also launched Facebook News, which hosted content from credible news sources like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. Even better: Facebook paid those organizations for that content.
All of that, unsurprisingly, is gone—well, almost.
If you click on the Facebook News link, there’s a banner at the top of the page saying that the “product will no longer be available in the United States and Australia starting in early April 2024.” It’s not a surprise. The writing has been on the wall for a while. Facebook deemphasized news and politics in 2021. In November of 2022, most of the Meta Journalism Project staff were laid off.
And now comes the end of the News tab, Meta announcing it will “deprecate” (their word) the News tab in response to users wanting less news and politics in their feed. And there’s some truth in that. According to Pew Research, fewer Americans say they are closely following the news. But Facebook also had been paying millions to those aforementioned credible news sources. Those contracts have run out, both here and in Australia, and Mark Zuckerberg has no desire to re-up. With the coming election, Facebook has been working hard to strip the news out of “news feed,” hoping that will keep the disinformation to a minimum.
Of course, Facebook isn’t the only space trying to deemphasize news. Other Meta products, Threads and Instagram, have also stripped traditional news outlets from the algorithm. X removed headlines from posts, frustrating many journalists. And Google’s search results have been getting worse and worse, often pushing Reddit threads over legitimate news sources. As a result, social referrals and native search traffic to news and media sites have both decreased.
That doesn’t mean people aren’t getting news, though. According to a Pew Research poll, one-third of adults under 30 look to TikTok for news. The Drum, a marketing and media news site, has dubbed this new flock of social journalists “j-influencers.” Yeah, it’s a horrible term. But it sums up the few that have started to carve out followings on Instagram and TikTok, often repackaging footage from the day’s news and offering commentary or analysis. Some, like Jessica Yellin, are former correspondents (she did time at CNN). Others, like TikTok’s News Daddy, are just kids breaking down some of the weird news of the day, like a controversy over a high school toe-sucking challenge (JMM guesses that’s a thing now?!?). One personal favorite: The Real Kellerman, who hits three major news stories of the day with the exasperation and angst we all feel in this overwhelming moment.
Like their YouTube predecessors, many are watching these TikTok news anchors because they’re looking for what they believe are less biased news sources. And some provide that. Kelsey Russell has gotten plenty of praise for breaking down news stories like they’re gossip. And Kayla Scanlon has grown an audience by simplifying big economic stories so we all can understand them.
But there have also been serious concerns about disinformation in this new world of micro-news. After the start of the Israel-Hamas War, misinformation spread across social media, particularly X and TikTok. And the BCC recently uncovered a web of TikTok accounts spreading Russian propaganda about the war in Ukraine.
So, ultimately, when people are running into news on TikTok, there’s no guarantee of accuracy, particularly in breaking news scenarios. Couple that with the fact that the other social media platforms are washing their hands of news content, and it’s no surprise that the Poynter Institute found that people who get their news from social media are less informed than those who get their information from credible news sources.
And this is at a time when we need an electorate soaked in accurate information more than ever.
Confetti Cannon
JMM is pretty sure recent grad CJ Younger (MMJ) is going to need more shelf space. Not only has she pulled in roughly a dozen awards, ranging from a Pinnacle Best Feature award to a Pacemaker Finalist nod for Urban Plains, which she helmed in the spring of 2023, but now she’s got two Hearst awards in her back pocket. She scored a third-place finish in the Best Feature competition for “We Could Bring Back the Stars” a couple of months back, and last week she was handed first place in the Best Sports Feature category for the dogsledding piece “For The Dogs.” The award comes with a $3,000 check. Guess we know who’s buying the next round.
Last Call
JMM is well aware that by Friday at 5 p.m. most folks will already be fleeing campus for an epic Spring Break of sun, sand, and body shots. Or their parents’ house. Either way, the time off is well deserved.
But before you buckle your seatbelt, make sure you have your applications in for two of Drake’s signature positions. The first: The DotDash Meredith Apprenticeship Program, which allows ambitious journalists and graphic designers the opportunity to earn both academic credit and gain professional, portfolio-level work experience. Selected students commit to working 15-20 hours per week at DotDash Meredith both semesters of either their junior or senior year. Apprentices earn $15 an hour as well as up to three credits per semester. To apply either share a Google Drive link or send an email to jeff.inman@drake.edu containing a cover letter, resume, and (if applicable) up to five work samples all contained in one PDF.
The second: Student media leadership. You will get to oversee one of Drake’s six student media organizations: Drake Broadcasting System, Drake Mag, Drake Political Review, DUiN, Periphery and the Times-Delphic. Send a resume and cover letter, as well as up to five work samples, to BSC co-chairs Prof. Lakshmi Tirumala (Lakshmi.tirumala@drake.edu) and SJMC Sen. Eva Kellen (eva.kellen@drake.edu)
Interviews for both will be held post-Spring Break, well after you’ve recovered from your week of debauchery—or videogames in your mom’s basement.
Get Your Facts Straight
We all know this fall’s election is going to be a disinformation dumpster fire. While tech companies like Google, X (Twitter), and Facebook and Instagram owner Meta have all vowed to curtail fake news and AI deepfakes during the run-up to the 2024 election, there is still going to be plenty of puffer-coat popes that will make it through the firewall. That’s why every journalist should be able to fact-check the news—and maybe even use AI to combat AI.
The Online News Association will show you how to do just that. It’s hosting the webinar “AI + Fact Checking in an Election Year” to provide reporters with the latest tips and tools that will help confirm if all those videos of Donald Trump getting confused are real or not. The webinar will be held March 20 from 1-2:30 p.m. Registration is $25.
The Rehash: Summer Internships
Like the weirdly spring-like temps that have been happening for the last few weeks, internship season is getting hotter. Here’s some of the best you should consider apply for now.
· Hy-Vee is hiring a digital marketing intern. You’d be working on optimizing video content and digital asset management. Get more info here.
· Iowa PBS is hiring multiple positions for the summer including emerging media and production interns. You’ll be based in fabulous Johnston, Iowa. Applications are due March 6.
· Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation is looking for both a graphic design and a communications intern. Both will work on INHF’s donor magazine, help with the group’s website, and maybe even end up working at the non-profit’s annual Ragbrai booth. The deadline to apply is March 8.
· HerCampus has been one of the leading voices for college women for years. A group of websites including HerCampus, Spoon University, and College Fashionista, the company hires remote interns to help create content, design graphics, and run social media for its various websites. They have rolling internship sessions, with the summer one starting May 8. Get more info here.
· Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines needs a communications intern to help create multi-channel content for the summer. You’ll also make bank. The gig offers $20-$25 an hour depending on experience. Check it out here.
· The St. Louis-based River City Journalism Fund is looking for a summer writing fellow. You’ll be embedded in a St. Louis newsroom, work 30 hours a week covering social justice and underrepresented communities, and be paid $700 a week. Get more info here.
· American Public Media Group, home of Minnesota Public Radio, has multiple internships for the summer including audio, video, production, and reporting. All of the gigs are based in St. Paul, Minnesota. You might even end up working with former Iowa Public Radio host and reporter Clay Masters and recent SJMC grad CJ Younger (MMJ), both of whom now call MPR home. Check out all the gigs here.
· Truth & Documentary is looking for a part-time (25 hours) documentary intern to work from June 10 to August 9 in its Chicago office. Pay is $16 an hour. Applications are due April 1. Get more info here.
· The Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting is looking for a full-time year-long intern. You’ll work with the center’s journalists to cover global stories, post stories to its website, and help create multimedia content. The position can be remote and it pays $37,440 with benefits and starts June 1. Apply here.
Wanna Give JMM a Dose of the Good Stuff?
Do you have some essential info or did you just upgrade to manager for the Downtown Farmer’s Market like Elizabeth Weyers (Mags, PR, ’21)? If so, send it on over to jeff.inman@drake.edu. JMM will treat it like this promotion announcement from Associate Marketing Director of DotDash Meredith Kelly Morse (Mags, ’13) and share it with everyone.
Finally, my literal nightmare.