Beyond the Dilemma: Embracing the ‘Trust Network’
New research from the Reuters Institute validates a strategic shift I’ve been exploring: it’s time to build a “Trust Network.”
A quick note: This piece was originally published by the American Press Institute (API) in a LinkedIn article. I’m sharing it here today so it's available to all my “Backstory & Strategy” subscribers as well.
In my last post, “The Influencer Dilemma: Three Actionable Layers for Newsrooms,” I unpacked why it’s a strategic necessity for newsrooms to actively participate in the emerging ecosystem of social media influencers and creators.
I outlined why “ignoring” this disruption isn’t a viable option. I shared how staying afloat, much less thriving, will require a three-layered, nuanced approach.
Reuters Institute Research Validates & Escalates “The Dilemma”
A few weeks after my piece was published, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism released new research that validates and escalates this “influencer dilemma” for newsrooms globally.
This isn’t just an academic call to action. These are pivotal data points that should prompt every newsroom leader to act.
When we synthesize the clarity and nuance of this research with the “what works” of the American Press Institute (API), an actionable, evidence-based strategy becomes clear. This is about more than survival. This is our opportunity to lead the way back to trust in a fractured media environment.
The 2025 report offers an inescapable and significant truth. Audiences, particularly younger demographics, are increasingly turning to individual creators for news. In many cases, they are bypassing traditional news brands entirely.
Pause on that. This is not simply a platform issue. It’s about the personal.
The report, which aggregates data from 24 different countries, emphasizes several key takeaways:
Personality trumps brand: On platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and X, individuals are generating more attention than traditional news organizations.
A diverse typology: These are not simply “influencers” in the sense of celebrities or “nano-influencers” with small followings. The report details a nuanced typology, including satirical commentary creators, infotainment-focused channels, and more.
Audience concerns about reliability and misinformation: This point is significant. The report brings to light serious audience concerns about reliability, misinformation, and propaganda. This is a crucial opportunity.
Political influence & gender imbalance: It also acknowledges the emerging political influence of these creators. It also exposes a stark gender disparity. 85% of top creators are men.
This research is a game-changer. It’s not merely a prompt to “get on board with the influencer thing.”
Abandoning this ground isn’t an option for any news organization that cares about the health of civic discourse. The stakes are much too high. We’re not just talking about audience share. We’re talking about misinformation running rampant in spaces where people are seeking information.
The Opportunity: Building a “Trust Network”
The opportunity is found in my proposed “Three-Layered Strategy,” which now provides the additional context and clarity to link the “why” of this Reuters data to concrete action steps.
In that article, I made the case that it’s time to stop using “influencer” as a synonym for celebrity promotion or brand “buzz.”
Instead, it’s time to treat it like a strategic concept, redefining it as: Identifying and engaging with local “nodes of trust.”
These are the individuals already talking and interacting with the people in your market. It’s the person your community trusts. That could be the civic-minded leader of the neighborhood association. Or it could be the enterprising person who organizes the community festival. It could even be that mom who runs the super active local Facebook mom’s group.
Here is how my original strategy layers align with the latest data:
Layer 1: The Business Case (Modern Distribution)
The Reuters report is an absolute call to action to meet your audience where they are. Partnering with local, trusted community voices is not just a good idea. It’s a modern distribution strategy. It’s how you get your journalism to reach segments of the audience you are not currently reaching. It’s a way to engage those people in a more authentic way. This isn’t “spray and pray.” This is about building relationships that can lead to followers becoming paying subscribers.
Layer 2: The Mission Case (Redefining Connection)
Here is the most important part. This is what’s at the heart of our core news mission as news organizations. We have a fundamental mission to inform and cultivate trust. We can “push back” on the “trust gap” illuminated by Reuters in their report. We can partner with vetted, well-known, and well-respected voices in your community. We can do this strategically and empower those trusted people to use accurate, deeply reported journalism to help them talk with their network about facts that they want to share. This reframes “influencer marketing” to “trust network building.” This is a powerful new way for news organizations to have impact and truly meet our journalistic mission in the modern era.
Layer 3: The Playbook (Execution)
This is where the American Press Institute (API) has filled in the blanks with a must-use guide. The API’s “Guide to Influencer Collaboration” is indispensable. This is not just theory. It is a working blueprint developed from first-hand experiences and experiments from 16 newsrooms, including places where I have worked.
API’s “Ethical Collaboration Playbook”
The API’s guide, with its emphasis on collaboration, specifically outlines how to work effectively with influencers and creators. It makes it clear that:
This work is relational, not transactional: This is not about “paying” someone to make a post. It is about building real relationships that are driven by shared values.
Trust is the focus: The evaluation of success is based on deeper engagement, community connection, and trust. It’s not just surface-level “metrics” or vanity numbers.
Ethics are at the forefront: This guide provides a roadmap for important considerations in preserving editorial independence, maintaining transparency, and managing brand integrity concerns.
By following API’s guidance, newsrooms can feel more confident about the ethical considerations that this work will present. The API guide ensures newsrooms are building collaborations that work and that are in service of both journalistic integrity and community engagement.
An Actionable Path Forward
The Reuters Institute has shone the light on a global phenomenon. They have armed us with the data that proves “the influencer dilemma” is not just a niche issue. It’s not an edge case. It is the new normal.
The strategic framework from my previous post and the API’s guide provide pivotal next steps. They give us the clarity to see how news organizations can actually operate within this shift and do it profitably.
This is not about “becoming” an influencer. This is not about becoming less journalistic.
This is about recognizing that these trust networks already exist. They are in your community. They are built by the people who talk and interact with the people in your market. This is about working through how to ethically and impactfully bring our high-quality journalism into those conversations.
The future of local news depends not just on what happens in our newsrooms, but what we choose to empower outside of them as well.
It’s time to start building the trust network our communities deserve.
Join the conversation:
This brings the theory to the ground. Who are the “nodes of trust” in your community?
Is it a local creator, a neighborhood association leader, or the admin of a massive Facebook group? Share your real-world examples in the comments.
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