Media industry
fromNieman Lab
1 week agoHow V Spehar built a news business from under a desk
News creators like Vitus Spehar are redefining journalism for younger audiences through engaging and accessible content on social media.
McCullough's videos focus on U.S. and Canadian culture and how they intersect. A sampling of recent videos: "How bad is the PragerU guide to presidents?", "What 2025 permanently added to American culture," "whatever happened to Canada's Online Streaming Act?", and the four presidents that lead America into (and out of) war. His audience is around 80% male, with most of his viewers between the ages of 20 and 35 and about half based in the U.S.
Creators are also having an increasingly important political impact, with Donald Trump courting popular YouTubers and podcasters such as Joe Rogan and the Nelk Boys in the run-up to his 2024 election victory. The recent murder of activist and podcaster Charlie Kirk, and the coverage of the aftermath, reminds us of the critical role these personalities are now playing in shaping both public opinion and political narratives.
Legacy news media has long competed for audience with social media sites, video platforms, and streaming services. But a newer competitor - news creators - is pulling and retaining audiences in countries where mainstream media is struggling to keep them. A report published Tuesday by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ) identified geographical and generational differences in how much attention is paid to news creators compared to traditional media outlets and journalists on social and video platforms.