Pew Research Center, a US research organisation, has studied the creators who regularly post about news and civic issues and has measured how many Americans turn to them. This article summarises that research, which describes the United States; it does not show how audiences in the UK or EU behave.
Who counts as a “news influencer”?
Definitions matter, because the findings only apply to the group Pew set out to study. In its November 2024 report on America’s news influencers, Pew defined them as people who regularly post about current events and civic issues on social media and who have at least 100,000 followers on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X or YouTube. They had to be individuals rather than organisations.
To find them, Pew reviewed 28,266 accounts across the five sites. It identified 2,058 influencers who regularly post about news and are run by individuals, and then examined 500 of them in depth. It analysed 104,786 posts across three one-week periods in 2024 (15 to 21 July, 29 July to 4 August and 19 to 25 August).
So “news influencer” here is a research category with a follower threshold. It is not a job title, and it does not cover smaller accounts.
What does the profile of these creators look like?
According to Pew’s 2024 report, the group is not evenly balanced:
| Characteristic | Pew finding (2024 study of 500 influencers) |
|---|---|
| Gender | 63% men, 30% women |
| Political orientation | 27% explicitly right-leaning, 21% left-leaning, about half no clear orientation |
| News industry background | 77% with no past or present affiliation with a news organisation; 23% have worked in news in some way |
| Platform presence | X 85%, Instagram 50%, YouTube 44% |
| Multi-platform use | About two-thirds on more than one site; 27% on five or more |
Two points stand out. First, most of these creators come from outside traditional newsrooms, which is why the label “influencer” rather than “journalist” is used. Second, Pew noted that the gender gap is smallest on TikTok, where men (50%) and women (45%) are nearly equal.
The percentages for gender do not add up to 100 because the report does not account for the remainder in the figures summarised here. Readers wanting the full breakdown should consult Pew’s report directly.
What do they actually post about?
A common assumption is that these accounts post news around the clock. Pew’s content analysis found otherwise. Of the sampled posts, 57% could not be tied to current events or civic issues. Among the 43% that could, 55% covered politics, government or the presidential election, 18% covered social issues and 14% covered international issues. Politics was the most common topic for 58% of influencers.
That mix is worth remembering. A creator who is categorised as a news influencer may spend much of their feed on other subjects, including personal updates and entertainment. The definition requires regular news posting, not exclusive news posting.
How many Americans get news from them?
Pew’s August 2024 survey of 10,658 US adults, fielded from 15 July to 4 August 2024, found that 21% regularly get news from news influencers on social media. Among adults aged 18 to 29, the figure was 37%. The report found minimal differences between Republicans and Democrats.
Pew’s later fact sheet, dated 4 November 2025 and based on a survey conducted 18 to 24 August 2025, shows the overall share unchanged at 21%. Its age breakdown is below, with 2024 figures in brackets.
| Age group | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 18 to 29 | 38% | 37% |
| 30 to 49 | 23% | 26% |
| 50 to 64 | 16% | 15% |
| 65 and over | 8% | 7% |
The pattern is that reliance falls with age. Because these are survey estimates, small year-on-year changes (such as 37% to 38%) should not be read as a trend.
Why do people say they follow them?
The 2025 fact sheet lists reasons that people give for using news influencers. Understanding current events is a major reason for 54%, and authenticity for 49%. The fact sheet does not measure trust in influencers or the accuracy of what they post, so it cannot be used to say that audiences trust them more or less than other sources.
The 2024 report asked those who get news from influencers about their experience:
- 65% said influencers helped them better understand current events and civic issues.
- About seven in ten said the news they get is at least somewhat different from news from other sources.
- 31% felt a personal connection to an influencer.
Do followers only hear views they agree with?
Pew asked this directly. Among people who get news from influencers, 61% said they see an even mix of views they agree and disagree with, 30% said they mostly agree, and 2% said they mostly disagree. This is self-reported, so it describes perception rather than a measured audit of what appears in feeds. How feeds are assembled is a separate question; our explainer on how recommendation algorithms decide what you see covers the mechanics.
Can people name the influencers they rely on?
A February 2025 Pew short read followed up on the 2024 survey. It asked the respondents who said they regularly get news from news influencers (2,012 people) to name the first influencer who came to mind. No consensus emerged: the most-named individuals were each cited by only 3% or 2% of respondents. In all, 42% gave no response or could not think of one, and 7% named a media outlet rather than a person.
Those who did name a person were more likely to say they follow or subscribe to an influencer (72%, against 45% of those who did not name one or gave no response) and to report a personal connection (39% against 23%).
The finding suggests that the audience for news influencers is fragmented across many creators rather than concentrated in a handful of names, and that for some people the habit of getting news this way is not tied to a particular person.
What does this mean for audiences, creators and brands?
The following points are the publication’s own reading of the data, not Pew’s conclusions:
- For audiences: Because most of these creators have no newsroom background, checking claims against other sources remains a sensible habit. Ofcom’s description of media literacy is a useful starting point, and UNESCO’s survey findings on why creators skip fact-checking show where the gaps tend to be.
- For creators: A large following in news content brings the same duties as any other topic. Paid or gifted content still needs to be labelled; see the guide to influencer disclosure rules in the UK, US and EU.
- For readers outside the US: The numbers describe US adults and US-defined thresholds. UK and EU audiences may differ, and no figures here should be assumed to carry over.
What the Pew research does and does not settle
Pew’s work gives a measured picture of a new kind of public voice: mostly independent, mostly male in the sample, spread across several platforms and posting a mix of news and non-news content. About one in five US adults, and close to two in five of the youngest, say they regularly get news from them. What the research does not settle is accuracy, trust or influence on opinion, which Pew’s fact sheet explicitly does not measure.
This article is general information based on published research from the United States, not advice. Findings are survey estimates as of the dates stated, and platform practices and audience behaviour change over time.
Sources: Pew Research Center (Influencers Who Often Post About News, and Who Sees Their Content); Pew Research Center (News Influencers Fact Sheet); Pew Research Center (Who Americans think of as news influencers on social media)
