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Behold, creator-model journalists on newsroom payrolls. (List at the end of this post)
Dave Jorgensen was known for years as “The Washington Post TikTok Guy.” But now that he’s gone independent, it’s time to freshen up your feeds with new examples of what traditional publishers can do with personality on social media.
I created the list below to showcase examples of “in-house” creator-model journalists who are leveraging content-creator tactics from within and with the backing of their institutions. These creator journalists are often leading the way in acquiring new (and younger) audiences as well as piloting new editorial and advertising formats. The pioneers are often the first or only of their kind in their newsrooms.
I’ve been following “creator journalists” inside newsrooms since I led The Washington Post’s social media efforts through 2021. An early moment that stands out is when I hired Gene Park in 2015. It was clear his online personality was a huge part of his success on platforms like Reddit and Twitch, leading him to become staff writer and then video game critic all while keeping his signature approachability and voice in his work.
Today, you see major outlets like The Post and The New York Times focus on putting their whole stable of staff reporters on camera, in a mix of behind-the-scenes-y explanatory video. The Times publishes at least one or more of these reports a day, often of a reporter talking through a single story. Those publishers then elevate the resulting vertical video of a story to their homepages and apps as a way to lure readers in to eat their vegetables.
But simply putting a reporter on camera does not make them a creator, much less an influencer.
In-house creators have range. Sure, it might include the ability to do straight news scripts but it also often leans much more on personality, relatability, and responsiveness, just like independent creators do.
The list below includes local, regional and national voices, topical experts and generalists. I chose to focus on video-first creators (usually those who create their own video, instead of relying on a team to help) but certainly there is a wider world of great journalists across newsletters, audio, and of course, internationally too.
Some follow directly in Dave’s comedy footsteps but many are also cutting their own path reflecting their personality, reporting process and publishers’ flexibility with their own brands.
The list is not meant to be comprehensive. While I did a quick poll of social media editors I trust (thank you!), I'm missing great voices because, well, algorithms make discovery hard. Please send along your favorite in-house creator-journalists to me ([email protected]) to include in a wider list for Project C’s wider database.
In alphabetical order by last name:
Keri Blakinger (Propublica)
Platforms: Instagram
What they do: Keri does deep reporting on prisons, criminal justice, incarceration, and other social issues with an accountability lens.
Why it matters: Keri has jumped outlets from the Marshall Project to LA Times to the Houston Chronicle and now ProPublica, all within a few years. That works for her because she has a strong following outside these outlets for her rigorous reporting of stories that are often oversimplified or under‑covered.
Sample work: Watch how Keri uses data as evidence in her videos and takes a lot of time to explain the reporting process without talking down to her audience. Yes, she reads and responds to comments.
Rebecca Castillo (Los Angeles Times)
What they do: Despite multiple rounds of buyouts, 404 by LA Times lives on and Bex carries the banner of reaching young people in Los Angeles primarily through short form video for their dedicated channels.
Why it matters: Not all publishers can have separate channels to cater to young people but when they do, the value of a more targeted account with a host like Bex is huge.
Sample work: “Choo choo, is what I would say if I were a train” is delivered in the signature deadpan that she is known for.
Greg Castillo (Axios Dallas)
Platforms: Instagram
What they do: Greg is best known for his food videos, including a series where he rates tacos from all over Texas. It’s all about the reaction shot because alas, the audience cannot taste through their phones.
Why it matters: Food journalism is a great foot in the door to cover a city. Greg uses it to expand into events, lifestyle, culture, and city news.
Sample work: This recent video about pizza at an indoor soccer stadium blends human interest, things to do, and of course, food.
Jack Corbett (NPR Planet Money)
What they do: Jack is an absolute pro who does info-heavy economic explainers in mini-skit form. He’s blown up more than once already and has been covered by mainstream/traditional news too.
Why it matters: While everyone thinks the social accounts are run by interns, Jack actually was an NPR intern to start (I was too!) who parlayed his Tiny Desk gig into this role. Hint: A publisher’s best bet for in-house talent might already work for them!
Sample work: This video is an amazing ad for donating to NPR while simultaneously also being real and useful content – nearly impossible for some creators, but right down Jack’s alley.
Ariane Datil (Philadelphia Inquirer)
What they do: Ariane is just a few short months into her new role, but you can tell her personality-first videos apart from other reporter videos on the Inquirer accounts.
Why it matters: No matter what the core medium (print, digital, audio, TV), every publisher is a social video publisher and it's great to see the Inquirer invest in Ariane.
Sample work: There are five collaborator accounts on this Instagram about a college student who’s running a fine dining pop up restaurant that started in his dorm room at college.
@phillyinquirer Things to do in Philly this weekend 🎃 💃 🦒 250th Birthdays of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Celebration 8 Seconds Rodeo Boo at the @philad... See more
Macy Gilliam (Morning Brew)
What they do: If you liked the Buzzfeed Try Guys back in the day, Macy is the modern version with more substance and a news hook. A whole YouTube series called Out There with Macy Gilliam is high on personality in a way that makes total sense for the Morning Brew brand.
Why it matters: Far more journalists need to feel comfortable with at least occasional embarrassment, and Macy is the example of just trying it out so that your audience doesn't have to.
Sample work: It’s a collab video with the famed Subway Takes, but this video is a great intro to Macy. The whole thing is so very New York.
Julia Munslow (Wall Street Journal)
What they do: Julia breaks down the huge variety of WSJ stories for short-form video both as an on-camera social host and leader/editor of social video more broadly at the Journal. The ideal player-coach model.
Why it matters: It’s not all Julia all the time. She finds the balance to also include reporter-narrated stories, straight news, and looser personality-driven video for the publisher’s channels while promoting her own brand using her personal channels.
Sample work: CEOs start saying the quiet part out loud is one of the best versions of this kind of video. Straight-forward, clear but still accessible to pretty much everyone.
Sam Sanders (The Sam Sanders Show/ KCRW)
What they do: Sam hosts a podcast/radio talk show where he interviews some of the world’s most interesting people. It is a clear descendent from his previous shows for Vox and NPR and wholly himself.
Why it matters: By some measures, Sam doesn’t fit the strictest measures of an “in-house” creator. But KCRW and the likes of Vox Media Podcast Network are THE leading examples of how publishers work with personality-first talent.
Sample work: Sam talking with Robin Givhan on what jeans to wear doesn’t center Sam at all, but isn’t that what a great interviewer does when faced with the biggest celebrities?
What they do: Krishna leads social video at The Baltimore Banner, creating content to help local news stories reach younger, social-first audiences.
Why it matters: This is how you make local journalism dynamic and accessible. I don’t even live in Baltimore and I want to follow human interest, oddities, and more from him. Social media editors from around the industry regularly send me his work.
Sample work: For all the corporate shenanigans, I challenge you to watch this video of Krishna entering a Mr. Boh contest and not crack a smile. The end even includes a cameo with the host’s father.
Matt Shearer (WBZ NewsRadio)
What they do: A reporter at WBZ NewsRadio in Boston, Matt produces video features for the local radio station.
Why it matters: Don’t count radio out! The microphone, mic flag, and logo bug ensure the audience knows where this content is coming from, benefitting both creator and brand.
Sample work: An oldie but a goodie, Matt’s viral piece on a Dunkin Donuts desert is about as Boston as it comes.
Honorable mentions: The Washington Post isn’t out of this game at all. Natalie Compton stands out as a long-standing creator-journalist in the travel space. She’s joined by reporters like Drew Harwell and Jacob Bogage who lean toward straight explainers. That’s before you remember that Washington Post Universe is still helmed by hosts Carmella Boykin and Joseph Ferguson who especially kill it on YouTube Shorts. Melissa Cho at SFGate is a delight, when she comes up on my feed. Internationally, someone like Enrique Anarte Lazo at the Thompson Reuters Foundation leads the way. And The Atlantic should just give Drew Goins a full-on game show.
Ryan Y. Kellett is an audience futurist and media consultant, previously an exec at Axios and The Washington Post. He is a Berkman Klein affiliate at Harvard University. Follow his media experiments on LinkedIn.
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