How much can change in a year? I'm here to tell you: A LOT.

Let's rewind: Last January, I attended the Knight Media Forum to moderate a discussion about something just breaking onto the media industry's radar – people committing real acts of journalism outside traditional media structures. Because this was such an alien idea to many in the industry and to the funders who gather in Miami each year to discuss media's present and future, I produced the 2025 News Ecosystem Map to help contextualize these new creators as part of an evolution in how news and information is being produced and consumed.

I remember conversations with smart people asking basic questions: "Are these freelancers?" "Are they just influencers?" "How can they be credible without editors and fact-checkers?" Not because they were dismissive, but because this space was either invisible to them or utterly opaque. Those of us representing creator journalism felt like exotic creatures.

Fast forward to February 2026: This year, the importance of independent voices was a signal theme running throughout the conference.

And yes, attitudes were different. We didn't have to work so hard to define what independent creator journalism is. The questions shifted from "What is this?" to "How can we support and collaborate with creators?"

A year ago, we were making the case that independent creator-journalists exist and matter. This year, we're building the infrastructure to support them. The Atlas is live. The partnerships are forming. The questions are evolving. Now comes the hardest and most important work: ensuring this momentum translates into real support – funding, collaboration, sustainability – for the creators doing this essential work.

That's what we're here for. 🚀

📌 An excellent must-read piece from Katie Harbath, who was also at the Knight Media Forum this week, on why individuals are continuing to transcend institutions and where that could lead in the short and long-term.

📌 Dave Jorgenson, and his Local News International team, is now generating 2.5x more YouTube views than The Washington Post. Jorgenson’s exit, combined with last week’s gutting of The Post’s video team, makes it crystal clear that someone up the corporate ladder really has no frigging clue. None.

📌 Fernando Hurtado shares stats, lessons learned and successes after year one of The Hyphen and notes that sponsorships are his largest revenue source.

📌 Joanna Stern is leaving The Wall Street Journal to launch her own independent consumer-tech media company.

📌 OG YouTubers Hank and John Green announced they are donating ownership of Complexly so it can become a non-profit.

📌 The Wall Street Journal has been leaning in to social-first video.

📌 Over at Chaotic Era (which just hit 15,000 subscribers!) Kyle Tharp digs into how Don Lemon not only survived his departure from CNN, but grew into a thriving independent media brand.

📌 YouTuber Keith Edwards models how to signal transparency to your audience when it comes to funding:

📌 IMI is funding 50 video creators across the U.S. (one in each state) to publish 50 videos in celebration of American science. See the details and apply here.

📌 The Next Challenge added a new category this year: The Pioneer Award for Local Creator Journalism will award up to $50,000 to an independent creator journalist using emerging digital platforms to strengthen civil discourse in their local community.

📌 If you live and work in one of the 26 Knight Cities, you may qualify to apply for the Knight Cities Challenge. Awards will go resident-driven solutions to local challenges and help promising ideas take root and grow (including strengthening local news and information systems.)