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In his 1985 book *Amusing Ourselves to Death*, media theorist Neil Postman lamented a television news landscape increasingly dominated by brevity. “While brevity does not always suggest triviality,” he wrote, “in this case it clearly does. It’s simply not possible to convey a sense of seriousness about any event if its implications are exhausted in less than one minute.” At the time, the average TV news segment lasted just 45 seconds—a figure that now seems almost extravagant in the age of TikTok.
More than three decades later, TikTok has emerged as a major conduit for news, especially among younger Americans. According to a recent Pew Research Center report, one in five U.S. adults now regularly gets news from the platform—a dramatic increase from just 3% in 2020. Among adults under 30, that figure jumps to 43%, up from 9% in the same period. While usage remains low among those 65 and older, TikTok’s influence is growing across nearly all other demographic groups.
This shift has not gone unnoticed by legacy media. Outlets ranging from *The Washington Post* to the U.K.’s *Daily Mail* are investing in TikTok content. Yet much of the news consumed on the platform does not originate from traditional newsrooms. Instead, it comes from independent “content creators”—individuals who may conduct original reporting, curate existing coverage, or offer commentary, often without formal journalistic training.
This raises critical questions: Are these creators filling a gap in accessible, engaging news delivery—or contributing to the erosion of public trust in media? The answer, experts say, is nuanced.
**Why TikTok? Accessibility, Intimacy, and Algorithmic Appeal**
TikTok’s design—mobile-first, vertically oriented, and optimized for short-form video—lends itself to rapid consumption. Though videos can run up to 10 minutes, most users scroll past clips lasting just over 10 seconds, according to *The Washington Post*. While the platform is often associated with entertainment—dances, pets, and viral trends—it also hosts a wide spectrum of news content, from breaking updates to deep dives on policy and social issues.
Robert J. Thompson, founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University, cautions against viewing “TikTok news” as monolithic. “When you say people are getting their news from TikTok, that can mean an infinite variety of things,” he said. “We can’t judge whether that’s good or bad; we’d have to do it on a case-by-case basis.”
Indeed, each user’s feed is algorithmically tailored, meaning two people may encounter vastly different portrayals of the same event. Some content is rigorously sourced; other posts veer into misinformation or opinion masquerading as fact.
**Bridging the Gap: Training the Next Generation of “Newsfluencers”**
Recognizing both the opportunity and the risk, several nonprofit organizations are working to equip TikTok creators with journalistic fundamentals. The News Creator Corps, for example, recently launched an eight-week training program for 20 selected creators, offering instruction in fact-checking, document analysis, and ethical interviewing—along with a $5,000 stipend.
Participants include a Florida-based creator known as “Amanda Informed,” who delivers “News in 60 Seconds” recaps; a California father sharing insights on parenting autistic children; and a Texas attorney explaining civic processes from his bedroom. Their reach is significant: one of Amanda’s 23-second videos about a shooting incident involving conservative commentator Charlie Kirk garnered over 51,000 views.
These creators often position themselves as “trusted community messengers,” operating in an environment where much traditional journalism is locked behind paywalls, while misinformation spreads freely. “They share information in an age where most reporting by traditional news organizations lives behind expensive paywalls,” said Rachel Lobdell, executive director of News Creator Corps.
**Redefining Journalism in the Digital Age**
The blurring line between journalist and influencer reflects a broader cultural shift. When Pew recently asked Americans, “What is a journalist?”, 79% identified newspaper or website writers as journalists, and 65% included TV reporters. Only 26% overall considered social media news posters to be journalists—but that number rose to 41% among 18- to 29-year-olds, compared to just 14% among those 65 and older.
Eli Kintisch, the Ted Turner Professor of Environmental Media at George Washington University, sees both promise and peril in this evolution. While TikTok meets a genuine demand for fast, digestible news among digital natives, he notes that many creators lack the institutional safeguards that underpin traditional journalism—such as editorial oversight, correction policies, and transparency about conflicts of interest.
“It’s never quite clear, if you’re watching a newsfluencer, what their ultimate allegiance is,” Kintisch said. “And their takes tend to be strongly opinionated.”
Yet he also acknowledges TikTok’s democratizing potential. “You no longer need to get booked on the ‘Today’ show or ‘60 Minutes’ to reach a national audience,” he observed. For both emerging creators and legacy outlets, the platform offers unprecedented reach—even if monetization remains a challenge.
**Historical Parallels and Cautious Optimism**
Thompson draws a parallel between today’s concerns about TikTok and earlier anxieties about late-night comedy as a news source. In the early 2000s, critics worried that shows like *The Daily Show* were undermining serious journalism. But Thompson argues that such programs often performed vital watchdog functions—highlighting political contradictions and media failures that traditional outlets overlooked.
“Late-night comedy had become the Fifth Estate,” he said. Similarly, TikTok may now occupy a distinct, if imperfect, niche in the information ecosystem.
Still, experts agree on one point: TikTok should complement—not replace—other news sources. “If you’re only getting your news from TikTok, that would be bad,” Thompson warned, “just like if you were only getting your news from Jon Stewart.”
And in an era where 9% of Americans report getting news from AI chatbots, TikTok may not be the most concerning development in the evolving media landscape.
As Thompson puts it, invoking Einstein: “Sometimes brevity is really important. E=mc² is brevity.” The challenge lies not in the format itself, but in ensuring that brevity serves clarity—not confusion.