Newman et al Mapping News Creators and Influencers FINAL

Mapping News Creators
and Influencers in Social
and Video Networks
Nic Newman, Amy Ross Arguedas, Mitali Mukherjee, and Richard Fletcher

Nic Newman, Amy Ross Arguedas, Mitali Mukherjee, and Richard Fletcher
Mapping News Creators
and Influencers in Social
and Video Networks

Contents
DOI: 10.60625/risj-44pf-1k13
About the Authors 4
Introduction 5
SECTION ONE 6
Methodology8
Definitions and typology 9
Five key findings 12
SECTION TWO: COUNTRY-BASED ANALYSIS 16
NORTH AMERICA
United States 20
Canada22
LATIN AMERICA
Argentina26
Brazil28
Colombia30
Mexico32
NORTHERN AND WESTERN EUROPE
United Kingdom 36
France38
Germany40
Netherlands42
Norway44
Spain 46
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE
Czech Republic 50
Poland52
ASIA-PACIFIC
Australia56
India58
Indonesia60
Japan62
Philippines64
South Korea 66
Thailand68
AFRICA
Kenya72
Nigeria74
South Africa 76
SECTION THREE 78
Conclusions80
References83

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express appreciation to those who have
provided advice and suggestions for improvement to the manuscript.
We are particularly grateful to our DigitalNewsReport partners and
other experts who took time to sense-check our country-based lists
and analysis, namely Sora Park and Jee Young Lee, University of
Canberra for Australia and South Korea; Lucas Graves, University of
Wisconsin-Madison, United States; Colette Brin and Sébastien
Charlton, Centre d’études sur les medias, Canada; Eugenia
Mitchelstein, Center for the Study of Media and Society (MESO),
Argentina; Rodrigo Carro, journalist, Brazil; Víctor García Perdomo,
Universidad de La Sabana, Colombia; Tania Montalvo, Reuters
Institute, for Mexico; Janet Steele, George Washington University;
Uni Lubis, Editor, IDN Times, Indonesia; Reiko Saisho, NHK, Japan;
Yvonne T. Chua, University of the Philippines; Dhanaraj Kheokao,
University of Potsdam for Thailand; Alice Antheaume, Sciences Po
Journalism School, France; Sascha Hölig and Leonie Alatassi, Leibniz
Institute, Germany; Eduardo Suárez, Reuters Institute, for Spain;
Jorien Scholtens and Edmund Lauf, Commissariaat voor de Media,
the Netherlands; Janne Biedilæ Bjørgan, University of Bergen,
Norway; Václav Štětka, Loughborough University, for the Czech
Republic; Vadim Makarenko, journalist, Poland; Tolulope Adeyemo,
Code for Africa, Nigeria; George Nyabuga, Aga Khan University,
Kenya; Chris Roper, Deputy Director, Code for Africa, South Africa.
Despite this valuable input, the authors at the Reuters Institute
remain fully responsible for this report, including any mistakes.
We would also like to thank the research and editorial teams at the
Reuters Institute for their input and suggestions as we defined the
scope of this report. And we also appreciate all those involved in the
production of this complex report under tight deadlines, including
Publications Officer Alex Reid, copyeditor Margaret Hunter, and
designer Simon Henderson, as well as Eduardo Suárez for web
production and distribution.
Published by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. The
data for this report comes from the Reuters Institute Digital News
Report survey, which was collected with the support of the Google
News Initiative (GNI).
AbouttheAuthors
Dr Amy Ross Arguedas is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Digital
News at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. She has
worked extensively on issues around trust in media and previously
worked as a journalist for the Costa Rican newspaper La Nación.
Nic Newman is Senior Research Associate at the Reuters Institute
for the Study of Journalism and is also a consultant on digital media,
working actively with news companies on product, audience, and
business strategies for digital transition. He writes an annual report
for the Institute on future media and technology trends.
Mitali Mukherjee is Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of
Journalism. She is a political economy journalist with more than two decades
of experience in TV, print and digital journalism. Mitali was Consulting
Business Editor at The Wire and Mint in India. Prior to that she was Markets
Editor at CNBC TV 18 and Prime Time Anchor at TV Today and Doordarshan.
Dr Richard Fletcher is Deputy Director and Director of Research at the
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. He is primarily interested
in global trends in digital news consumption, the use of social media by
journalists and news organisations, and the relationship between
technology and journalism.
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism | Mapping News Creators and Influencers in Social and Video Networks
4

Introduction
News creators and influencers operating in social
and video networks have become a significant
source of news in recent years. Our own Reuters
Institute DigitalNewsReport indicates that
personalities and news creators often eclipse
traditional news brands in terms of attention when
using certain social and video networks (Newman et
al. 2023, 2024, 2025). Pew Research finds that
around a fifth (21%) of adults in the United States
(US) and more than a third of Under-30s (37%) now
regularly get news from so-called creators or
influencers, with the majority of these saying that
the way these personalities present the news helps
them better understand current events and civic
issues (Stocking et al. 2024).
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.
In other parts of the world, politicians such as Emmanuel
Macron (France),1
Anthony Albanese (Australia),2
Claudia
Sheinbaum (Mexico),3
and Keir Starmer (UK)4
have also been
taking notice of these trends, incorporating social media
influencers into their media strategies, prioritising interviews
with TikTokkers and YouTubers – as well as inviting them to
government briefings. Elsewhere, in countries where press
freedom is under threat or where debate in mainstream media
is restricted, we have seen creators and influencers playing a
different role – providing a much-needed source of critical or
alternative views.
Online influencers may be attracting more attention but at
least some of their content is considered unreliable by
audiences (Newman et al. 2025), with well-documented cases
of false or misleading information around subjects such as
politics, health, and climate change raising important
questions about what this might mean for our democracies.
In this report we aim to show how the trend towards online and
social media news influencers is developing in 24 countries
around the world. Using an audience-based approach we
identify countries where influencers are having the biggest
(and smallest) impact as well as some of the most important
individuals. We also provide an emerging typology or
categorisation of news creators, while recognising the inherent
difficulties in this process given the diversity of styles,
overlapping approaches, and broad range of content.
After explaining the methodology and typology, this report
contains an opening section that summarises the overall
findings. This is followed by 24 individual country sections
where we highlight the news creators most mentioned by
audiences in our Digital News Report surveys, the main
networks used, and a few other characteristics of each market.
The final section draws some conclusions and references other
emerging work in this area.
1
https:/
/www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z6HnUJ3hcw
2
https:/
/theconversation.com/politicians-are-podcasting-their-way-onto-phone-screens-but-the-impact-may-be-fleeting-250793
3
https:/
/www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/sheinbaum-promovera-que-haya-youtubers-afines-a-la-4t-la-comentocracia-se-carga-en-contra-del-gobierno-dice/
4
https:/
/www.tiktok.com/@maxklymenko/video/7521435111821282582
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism | Mapping News Creators and Influencers in Social and Video Networks 5

Methodology
The data for this report come from the Reuters
Institute Digital News Report surveys. In the 2024
and 2025 surveys we asked respondents who said
they used social or video networks for news to tell
us where they paid most attention when it comes to
news (news brands and journalists, news creators,
etc.). We then asked respondents to name some of
the news brands and individual creators that they
paid most attention to using open text fields.
In this report we analyse in detail these open responses from both
the 2024 and 2025 surveys, counting mentions of both individuals
and news brands across the dataset to identify the most
frequently mentioned in each category. We supplement these
lists with desk research and consultation with country experts.
In the 2025 survey, all respondents who said they used Facebook,
X, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok for news in the last
week were asked, for one randomly selected network they used,
which sources they paid most attention to (traditional news
media/journalists, digital-first news outlets not associated with
traditional media, creators/personalities who mostly focus on the
news, creators/personalities who occasionally focus on the news),
and then, for each source type, to name up to three. In the 2024
survey, respondents were presented with a slightly different set of
sources and, if they were selected, were asked to name up to three
mainstream outlets or journalists, and up to three alternative
news sources or online personalities or celebrities. See the Digital
News Report website for the full questions.5
These questions were designed to provide enough breadth in terms
of different social networks and different source types to be able to
map the ecosystem and construct our typology. These data cannot
be used to reliably estimate the proportion who pay attention to
each individual or brand, though they can be used to highlight a
selection of creators and influencers who are among the most
widely encountered in each country. Moreover, surveys capture
people’s self-reported behaviour, which does not always reflect
people’s actual behaviour due to biases and imperfect recall.
We used open text response boxes to collect the data for several
reasons. First, because in many countries the most popular news
creators and influencers have not yet been identified by previous
research. Second, because it would likely not be possible to fully
capture the broad and fragmented nature of this ecosystem using
a fixed listed of response options. And third, because we wanted
to adopt an audience-centric approach whereby respondents
could enter names that they considered news sources to them,
even if they did not meet accepted standards or definitions within
academia or the journalistic profession. This means that many of
the names we list here would perhaps have been excluded under
a more top-down approach.
Although open text responses enable an audience-centric
approach, and research shows that they can be a more accurate
way of measuring people’s news exposure (Guess 2015), they are
more challenging to analyse at scale. This is because misspellings,
shorthand references, low-quality responses, and other errors all
have to be cleaned and recoded, and groups of responses have to be
merged into meaningful categories. We used two parallel processes
to clean and process the data. We applied a range of commonly
used text editing and clustering algorithms using OpenRefine, and
supplemented this with manual editing and checking within the
software by the authors. We also used ChatGPT5 to process and
recode the original data, to identify the most mentioned individuals
and news brands, and to provide pen-portraits for each in English.
Previous research has shown that large language models can very
reliably recode open survey responses (Mellon et al. 2024) and
annotate short texts across multiple languages (Heseltine and
Clemm von Hohenberg 2024). Both sets of responses were
manually checked against the original data, with any discrepancies
resolved by the authors. We also added follower/subscriber counts
on social media for each individual as a rough proxy for the size of a
particular individual’s audience. We also asked country experts to
review all information and provide a sense check. It is important to
acknowledge, however, that this kind of analysis, even when
undertaken by humans, can be subject to error and necessarily
involves judgement calls. This means that, in addition to the usual
error and uncertainty associated with surveys (see the DigitalNews
Report methodology for a specific description) there is the potential
for additional error in the order of the names in the lists, and on
either side of the necessary cut-off point. Our lists are inclusive in
terms of being faithful to the names mentioned by respondents.
We removed just a handful of actors, sports stars, and celebrities if
we were sure they did not post on any news-related issues.
We applied the same process in 24 countries, which were chosen to
provide geographic diversity (Europe, Americas, Africa, and Asia-
Pacific) as well as a good mix of different media systems. The
countries chosen were United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil,
Argentina, Colombia, United Kingdom, Norway, Netherlands,
Germany, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Poland, Australia, India,
Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria,
and South Africa. In order to achieve the biggest sample of names,
we used data from open fields in both our 2024 and 2025 surveys, in
all countries except Nigeria, Kenya, Colombia, Mexico, Indonesia, and
the Philippines where data were drawn only from our 2025 survey
because the questions were not asked there in 2024.
Data from India, Kenya, and Nigeria are representative of younger
English speakers and not the national population, because it is
not possible to reach other groups in a representative way using
an online survey. The survey was fielded mostly in English in these
markets, and restricted to ages 18 to 50 in Kenya and Nigeria.
Findings should not be taken to be nationally representative in
these countries.
Reuters Institute Digital News Report methodology: https://
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2025/
methodology
5
Althoughslightlydifferentquestionswereusedin2024and2025,webelievethedataarebroadlycomparableand,giventhattheprimarypurposeistomapthisspace,thattheaddeddepth
fromtwoyears’worthofdataoutweighsanycomparabilityissues.
8

Definitionsandtypology
Social and video networks offer anyone the
opportunity to build an audience off the back of free
global distribution and increasingly powerful creator
tools. In combination with new ways of monetising
content, these attributes have encouraged a new
breed of creators and an explosion of content across
many genres, including news.
At the same time, traditional news organisations have been
adapting their content for social and video networks, driven by
increasing audience preference for consuming on these
platforms. Much of this is delivered through brand-led accounts,
but some publishers are also leaning into ‘personality-led’ social
accounts as a way to engage younger audiences in particular.
In another recent development, some high-profile journalists
have started to leave news organisations and set up on their
own, either because they want more control or believe they can
make more money – or both.
Politicians have also been investing time in building their own
social media profiles as a way of increasing their influence and,
in some cases, communicating with the public while dodging
media scrutiny. And around them we find a huge number of
political activists looking to amplify their talking points,
as well as troll accounts (in some countries) designed to
denigrate opponents.
For these reasons, and those outlined in the methodology,
mapping different types of news content creators on social media
is extremely challenging, but based on our analysis of around
40,000 unique named individuals we have attempted to do this
in a common way across 24 countries.
The audience-derived lists that we publish later in the
report contain names of a range of individuals including
news creators, journalists, and politicians – because we want
to understand where audiences are placing their attention
on social media. However, we are particularly interested in
news creators because this is the area that we believe is least
understood. We also want to understand the gaps they fill
that mainstream media and traditional journalists may not
be serving.
By news creators we mean …
Individuals (or sometimes small groups of individuals) who
create and distribute content primarily through social and video
networks and have some impact on public debates around news
and current affairs. News creators are independent from wider
news institutions for at least some of their news output. As such,
they overlap with what are sometimes referred to as
‘newsfluencers’ (Hurcombe 2024) or ‘peripheral actors’ in the
academic literature (Hanusch and Löhmann 2022).
Within this group, our typology of news creators is primarily
based around the content they produce, and makes a distinction
between those who are focused on …
1.TheNews:bywhichwemeanpolitics,wars,andotherpartsofthe
traditionalagenda.
2.News-adjacentcontent:abroaderdefinitionofnewsoftenusedby
youngergroups(Collao2022)andincludesbothawiderrangeof
subjects(entertainment,religion,gaming)aswellasmorediverse
presentationformatsincludingcomedy,memes,andthelike.
However,asweacknowledgeinmoredetailbelow,inpracticethe
dividinglinesbetweenthesetwocategories(andtheirrespective
sub-categories)canbeextremelyfuzzy.
Audience-centric typology of news creators
on social media
PARTONE:THENEWS
In this section we identify four approaches taken by news creators
and indicate the different level of challenge each poses for
traditional journalism.
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / EXECUTIVE SUMMARY GRAPHS
Graph 1
‘THE NEWS’ (E.G. POLITICS, WARS, CULTURE WARS,
BUSINESS, SPORTS)
TuckerCarlson
HugoTravers
JohnnyHarris
FabrizioRomano
(sporttransfers)
RussellBrand
Kovy
RazaGraphy
TaylorLorenz
(internetculture)
1.COMMENTARY
3.EXPLANATION
(Oftenpartisan,mostlymen)
(Decodingandsimplifyingnews)
Also:JulianReichelt(Germany),
JordanPeterson(Canada)
Also:VSpehar(USA),DylanPage(UK)
Morebalancedcommentary
analysisformatsarebeing
outgunnedbymorepartisanor
entertainingformats
Newsmediaisespeciallychallenged
inthisareaasyoungpeopleprefer
moreauthenticvoices
Also:MichaelWest(Australia),
citizenjournalists
Creatorshavebroughtnewskills
butdonothaveresourcesfor
largescalenewsgathering
Atalentproblemforspecialist
publications–withmorestars
settingupontheirown
2.NEWS/INVESTIGATION
4.SPECIALISM
(War,scandals,OSINT)
(Buildingnichebusinesses)

1. Commentary is the most frequently mentioned category
represented in our data and generally describes online political
chat show hosts (such as Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, and
Russell Brand). Commentary tends to be cheap and does not
require investment in newsgathering or infrastructure. It is also
unconstrained by regulation or norms around impartiality that
may exist for television and radio. The vast majority of creator-
led commentary is produced by men. Many of the biggest
names in political commentary such as Ravish Kumar (India),
Julian Reichelt (Germany), and Piers Morgan (UK) used to work
as journalists but are now highly critical of the mainstream
media. They relish the freedom to express their true opinions
with titles like Unplugged, Uncensored, or Unchained. In some
countries (United States, Brazil, India) we find evidence that
some of these shows are attracting as much attention as
mainstream media talk shows – but elsewhere (Spain,
Argentina, France, Norway) we tend to find that traditional
publishers have more effectively harnessed social distribution,
arguably strengthening the profile and bargaining power of
broadcast stars. In the United States the vast majority of
political commentary comes from creators who self-identify on
the right and are supportive of Donald Trump. But in other
countries such as India and Thailand, where debates in
mainstream media tend to be more controlled, creators tend to
be critical of the government.
2. News and investigation: Although less frequently
mentioned, we find many examples of creators and citizen
journalists who break news or conduct detailed investigations
across countries. These are often on matters of great public
interest that have been poorly or inconsistently covered by
mainstream media. Palestinians reporting from Gaza were well
represented in our lists, among them Motaz Azaiza, a former
aid worker whose footage during the early stages of the
conflict was widely shared. In Ukraine we have seen a
consistent set of social media accounts providing detailed
news about the latest fighting that has been largely absent in
mainstream media. And in Kenya, citizen journalists have been
documenting police brutality in recent street protests. But
there are also many examples of independent long-form
investigative journalism, such as Michael West in Australia
(The West Report) and Johnny Harris in the United States,
whose videos are rigorously researched and often take months
to complete. Indian creator Raza Graphy has 3.5m followers for
his YouTube channel that is dedicated to exposing fake news in
India. In Japan, Brazil, Thailand, South Africa, and Kenya,
among other countries, we find hugely popular creators who
run accounts focused on the latest salacious crimes or break
news about scandals (often about other online creators and
influencers), frequently with legal consequences for the
individuals concerned. Overall, this is probably the area where
creators are making least impact compared with well-
resourced traditional media, though networked investigators
such as Bellingcat have pioneered open-source approaches to
verification (OSINT/Open-Source Intelligence) that have been
incorporated by mainstream media.6
3. Explanation: Across countries we find creators who explain
the news in simple and accessible ways, often for younger
consumers. HugoDécrypte (real name Hugo Travers) is the
poster child for this type of content. Still in his twenties, he is
the most mentioned French news creator or journalist in our
survey and has over 7m followers on TikTok and 5m on
Instagram – far more than even the biggest legacy news brands
on these platforms. In addition to explaining complex news
topics, he interviews politicians, including the Ukrainian
president Volodymyr Zelensky. But there are many other
examples. Kovy is a young online personality from the Czech
Republic known for explanatory videos about politics; Herr
Anwalt is a German TikTokker with 7m followers who explains
legal issues to Gen Z audiences; and husband-and-wife team
Abhi and Niyu (3.5m subscribers on YouTube) produce videos
that simplify and decode complex issues for young Indians.
These examples reflect the popularity of new storytelling
techniques designed for a generation that is faced with a huge
amount of content competing for their attention and that often
sees news as a chore. This category of creators is taking
attention away from traditional media, which often struggle to
connect with younger audiences, but arguably they are also
providing societal value by helping to educate people about
politics and current affairs. This group also has a more
symbiotic relationship with the mainstream media – it is
essentially remixing mainstream content – and is much less
hostile towards such media than political commentators.
4. Specialism: Here we find individuals who work in a specific
niche, often at greater depth than can be found in a traditional
media organisation. Many specialists are former journalists
who have left big media companies so they can devote more
time to their chosen subject. Taylor Lorenz previously covered
internet culture for the Washington Post but left to run her own
Substack and podcast. She has been outspoken about the
constraints of mainstream media and the benefits of a creator
lifestyle. Fabrizio Romano is one of the best-connected sports
journalists in media and regularly breaks news about football
transfers. He has 25m followers on X and over 2m subscribers
to his YouTube channel. In addition to former journalists, we
find lawyers, academics, doctors, personal finance experts,
and crypto fans building very powerful and specific
communities. Specialists bring a passion to their work that is
often shared by their audience, and this helps them monetise
their work through subscription, membership, donation, or
personal appearances.
6
https:/
/www.bellingcat.com
10

Graph 2
Brozo
Ibai(esports)
AlexCooper
VirginiaFonseca
TrevorNoah
Rezo
StevenBartlett
RiaRicis
1.SATIREANDCOMEDY
3.GAMINGANDMUSIC
(Politicsandculture)
(Occasionallygetsuckedintonews)
Also:JohnOliver(US),
LedbyDonkeys(UK)
Also:Squeezie(France),
NelkBoys(US)
Also:IvanaAlawi(Philippines),
LindaIkeji(Nigeria)
Somecountries(UK,US)havea
strongtraditionofTVsatirebut
onlinehasgiventhismorebite
Largelythesearetopicsavoidedby
traditionalnewsrooms
Also:LeoDias(Brazil),
MacG(SouthAfrica)
Infotainmentpodcastsare
challengingmanymedia
companiesbutarealsoarecruiting
groundfornewtalent
Somemediacompaniesare
lookingtodevelopverticalsin
theseareas
2.INFOTAINMENT
4.LIFESTYLE
(Interviews,celebrities)
(Relationships,fashion,religion)
PART TWO: NEWS-ADJACENT CREATORS
Here we find a broad range of creators and formats that are
more fun or entertaining. Some of these rarely talk about news
and politics (or do so in a humorous way), but the size of their
audience, which is often larger than those in the first section,
and the trust and authenticity that they have built up can still
have a powerful impact on political debates.
1. Satire and comedy: In almost every country we find satirical or
humorous news accounts that are popular, especially with younger
audiences. Brozo is a satirical clown character (7m followers on X)
known for his cynical commentary on Mexican politics. In Canada,
Cody Johnston delivers comedic rants on politics to 1m followers of
his Some More News show on YouTube, while The Deshbhakt,
hosted by Akash Banerjee, offers satirical takes on Indian politics.
In the United States, stars from late-night TV such as Stephen
Colbert, John Oliver, and Trevor Noah are widely mentioned – a
reminder that much of this is not new; rather, it is being packaged
and distributed in fresh ways. Indeed, humour and comedy are a
defining feature of much creator output including explainer videos
(Dave Jorgenson) and political commentary. Joe Rogan is a
comedian as well as a talk show host, for example.
2. Infotainment: Some of the biggest social accounts in terms of size
belong to entertainment or celebrity podcasters. Steven Bartlett’s
Diary of a CEO podcast (12m subscribers on YouTube) is among the
most popular in the UK. He interviews entrepreneurs and other
celebrities covering topics such as business, success, and well-being.
The show has been criticised for amplifying health-based
misinformation.7
Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy (1.7m subscribers on
YouTube) covers dating, sex, mental health, and personal
empowerment. She welcomed presidential candidate Kamala Harris
as a guest in the run-up to the November election, who was keen to
access her younger female audience. MacG is co-host of South
Africa’s most popular YouTube podcast and mixes entertainment
with often controversial discussion of cultural and social issues.
3. Gaming and music: In most countries we find younger people
paying attention to gamers and e-sports streamers on platforms
such as YouTube or Twitch. Ibai is a Spanish internet celebrity
streamer (20m followers on Twitch and 13m on YouTube) known for
bridging digital content with mainstream culture, interviewing
high-profile athletes, entertainers, and global influencers. Rezo is a
German musician and podcaster (1.6m subscribers on YouTube) who
mostly talks about lighter subjects but made an influential viral video
about how traditional politics is failing young people. He has also
spoken out against the rise of the far right in Germany.
4. Lifestyle: This category indicates how broadly many people now
interpret news. Effectively it means anything that is ‘new’ or
interesting to them. These areas have some of the most followed
creators on the internet, especially in Brazil. Virginia Fonseca
(fashion blogger) has 53m followers on Instagram and 39m on
TikTok. Ria Ricis is an Indonesian influencer known for hijab
tutorials and lifestyle content. She has 44m followers on YouTube
and 47m on TikTok.
A few caveats on the typology and definitions
While these categories look neat, it is important to note that in
practice the dividing lines are extremely fuzzy. Many creators defy
categorisation. Others may start with one approach in mind (say
explainer videos) but expand into other areas (investigation or
commentary). This is a very fluid space, especially given how
responsive creators must be to ever-shifting audience preferences
and behaviours.
It is also difficult to distinguish between ‘news’ or ‘news-adjacent’
creators and a wider set of influencers that includes musicians,
comedians, and sports personalities among others. In terms of our
typology and country-based lists, we have included them only if
they post or talk about current events but have excluded them if we
can find no record of this.
A third challenge is the emergence of creator collectives or
creator-led news brands that operate primarily on social media. In
line with our audience-centric approach, where audiences have
identified them as individuals, we have tended to categorise these
as creators rather than news brands.
Finally, politicians and business people are also frequently
mentioned by survey respondents in the context of news sources
on social media and have significant followings (e.g. on X, Donald
Trump has 109m, Narendra Modi 109m, and Elon Musk 225m).
Many politicians are also content creators and commentators who
shape public debates. Some content creators have become
politicians, and vice versa.
For this reason, they are not part of our news creator typology,
but we have included them in our lists of most mentioned
individuals along with journalists who belong to mainstream
media, because we think it is useful to see how each group ranks
in terms of public attention.
7
https:/
/www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpz163vg2o

1. There are big differences across countries in terms of creator
attention and impact
In the Digital News Report 2025, we asked social media users about
the attention paid to news organisations and their journalists – as
well as to different types of creators (namely, ‘those who mainly
focus on news’ and ‘those that occasionally [do this]’). If we map
the proportion who paid attention to each across markets, we find
substantial differences between countries.
The chart below shows that there is a set of markets including
Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and the
United States (as well as Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa) where
news creators are having a very significant impact. In most of
these markets (shaded in magenta) people also say they pay
more attention to creators and influencers than to mainstream
news brands (or their journalists) when using social media, as
indicated by the position below the line of equality.
By contrast, in much of Northern Europe and also Japan the impact
of news creators tends to be much more limited. In most of these
markets traditional news brands tend to get more attention than
individuals (shaded in turquoise).
These differences can partly be explained by varying levels of use of
social media for news, but there are likely to be other factors
including cultural differences, the size of the market, and the
strength or weakness of legacy media.
Graph 3
PROPORTION WHO PAY ATTENTION TO NEWS CREATORS AND MAINSTREAM NEWS BRANDS IN SOCIAL MEDIA AND VIDEO NETWORKS
Q12_Social_sources. You said that you use one of these networks for news … When it comes to news on these networks, which of these sources do you generally pay most attention to? Base:Total
sampleineachcountry≈2000.Note:Showing‘traditionalnews’category and‘newscreators’/‘othercreators’.Respondentscouldselectmorethanoneoption.
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
20% 30%
10%
0% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Proportion paying attention to creators each week in social media
Proportion
paying
attention
to
traditional
news
media
each
week
in
social
media
Indonesia
South Korea
Czech Republic
Thailand
Australia
Argentina
Mexico
Colombia
Canada
Poland
Spain
France
Norway
Netherlands
Japan
Germany
United Kingdom
United States
Brazil
India
South Africa
Kenya
Nigeria
Philippines
More attention for creators
than for mainstream media
More attention for mainstream
media than for creators
Countries where creators are having
biggest impact around news
Fivekeyfindings
12

3. Creator consumption is primarily national in nature, but
there are exceptions
In most countries attention is focused on domestic creators, but
many English-speaking countries show a different pattern. In
particular, right-leaning political commentators from the United
States, such as Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson, and Ben Shapiro, have
found fertile ground for their pro-free speech and anti-
mainstream media narratives in a number of countries in this
study. Two-thirds of the most mentioned list in Canada are
creators/personalities based in the United States or the UK, with
an even higher number seen in Australia. In some European
countries where English is widely spoken (and the domestic
creator space is nascent), we also find US commentators
appearing regularly in the top ten lists, highlighting how politics
in these countries is being impacted, to some degree at least, by
the US radical right.
This interpretation is supported by analyses of the citations
for individuals (news creators, other creators, and journalists)
drawn from the follow-up survey question where people were
asked to provide up to three names using open text responses.
The chart above shows the number of mentions for individuals
in different countries (based on references to individuals who
were mentioned three or more times). This is another useful
way to illustrate the extent to which individuals and news
creators might be having a significant impact in a particular
country. The data show the biggest number of mentions in
Kenya, Thailand, South Africa, Nigeria, Brazil, India, the United
States, and a much smaller number in Northern Europe,
Australia, Canada, and Japan.
2. A few news creators stand head and shoulders above the rest
While most individuals get a handful of mentions at most, in a
few countries we find personalities and news creators who are
much more frequently mentioned by survey respondents.
Looking at the publicly available follower counts of some of the
most popular names is another indication of their wider impact.
Some of the most popular news creators reach millions of
followers across platforms. These include those who provide
‘commentary’ such as Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson in the
United States, Dhruv Rathee and Ravish Kumar in India,
‘infotainers’ such as Leo Dias in Brazil, and ‘explainers’ such as
Dylan Page in the UK.
But these numbers are very much the exception. The majority of
news creators lie in the long tail providing regular value to a
particular audience, perhaps burning brightly for a while before
losing traction. In smaller countries even the top news creators
struggle to reach a million subscribers on individual platforms,
with average plays for videos typically in the tens of thousands.
Graph 4
NUMBER OF MENTIONS OF INDIVIDUALS IN EACH COUNTRY
Q12_Social_sources_open.Yousaidthatyoupayattentiontocreators/personalitiesthatmostlyfocusonthenews/occasionallyfocusonnews/mainstreamorothernewsbrandsandtheirjournalistsin
[platform].Canyounameanyoftheaccountsyoufolloworpayattentionto?Pleasenameuptothree.Base:Totalsampleineachcountry≈2000.Note:Countsbasedonreferencestoindividualsthatwerementioned
threeormoretimesacrossthe2024and2025surveys.In2025,foreachactortheypaidattentiontoonsocialmedia,respondentswereaskedabouttheirattentiononarandomplatformtheyusedinordertoaidrecall.In
countriesmarkedwith*thementioncountisonlyfromoneyear(2025)asthequestionwasnotaskedin2024.Mentionsroundedtothenearestten.
KEN*
CAN
ARG
BRA
JPN
ESP
ZAF
UK
PHL*
KOR
DEU
COL*
THA
MEX*
NLD
USA
NOR
POL
NGA*
FRA
IND
IDN
CZE
1170
210
480
690
150
360
910
200
410
600
80
70
230
980
460
670
150
300
840
180
400
530
220
AUS
160
Attention for news-related
creators is around 15x higher in
Kenya than in the Netherlands
Individuals/
creators are having
a lesser impact
Individuals/
creators are having
a big impact
Graph 5
JoeRogan
LeoDias
DeddyCorbuzier
DylanPage
Comedian turned podcaster. Has
younger right-leaning audience.
20m followers
on YouTube
Journalist and media personality,
focus on infotainment.
19m followers
on Instagram
TV presenter, YouTuber, and host
of Close the Door podcast.
24m followers
on YouTube
Known for snappy and engaging
content about topical issues.
17.5m followers
on TikTok

Elon Musk’s name is mentioned in all 24 countries, perhaps not
surprising given his control of the X platform and its algorithm (225m
followers). Donald Trump’s name is also widely cited across markets.
We also find mentions of self-declared misogynist Andrew Tate in
around half of our 24 countries, though often with very small
numbers. His aspirational messages aimed at young men have
proved effective in connecting with a small minority across borders.
Football transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano is mentioned by
respondents in almost every country in our survey including
South Africa, Kenya, Norway, and the United States. Creators are
increasingly able to draw on passionate fans wherever they live.
4. News creators and personalities tend to be men
In analysing the most mentioned individuals in social and video
networks across 24 countries we find that the vast majority (85%)
of the top 15 in each country are men. In Canada the entire top 15
list is made up of men. The Philippines has the lowest proportion
of men (46%) in the top list and the highest proportion of female
news creators and journalists (54%).
Political commentary is particularly prone to male-dominated
presentation, with hosts often talking with other men into
very large microphones. Not surprisingly audiences for this
content also tend to be male (but not exclusively so).8
By contrast, a significant proportion of top lifestyle creators
(e.g. Virginia Fonseca in Brazil) are women with predominantly
female audiences.
In analysing the audiences that pay attention to both news
creators and mainstream news brands we find that the key
difference is around age. Under-35s who use social media are
more likely to consume news from creators (48%) than from
mainstream media (41%). Those 35 and over pay more attention
to mainstream media (44%) than creators (35%).
These age differences also help to explain why in aggregate there
are no significant audience differences when it comes to politics.
Audiences for right-leaning creators (e.g. Tucker Carlson) who
tend to be older are likely being balanced out by younger
audiences who use social media more heavily and tend to identify
on the left.
Graph 8
PROPORTION OF SOCIAL MEDIA USERS PAYING MOST
ATTENTION TO NEWS MEDIA AND NEWS CREATORS – BY AGE
Q12_Social_sources.Yousaidthatyouuseoneofthesenetworksfornews…Whenitcomestonews
onthesenetworks,whichofthesesourcesdoyougenerallypaymostattentionto?Base:Socialmedia
newsusersacross48marketsaged18–24=7837,25–34=12,161,35–44=11,850,45–54=10,618,55+=19,827.
Note:Showing‘mainstreamnews’categoryand‘newscreators’/‘othercreators’.Respondentscouldselect
morethanoneoption.
News creators/personalities
Traditional media/journalists
0% 20% 40% 60%
46
43
35
32
42
41
42
46
39
51
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
Graph 6
All of them are men
(15/15)
Roughly equal gender balance
(7/15)
of the top individuals mentioned are men.
This is especially true for political commentary.
Lifestyle and infotainment are more balanced
Especially with political
commentary
More mixed in lifestyle and
infotainment areas
85%
Philippines
Canada
Graph 7
MOST FREQUENTLY MENTIONED COMMENTATORS IN INDIA
TEND TO BE MEN
Ravish Kumar
Akash Banerjee
Dhruv Rathee
Sham Sharma
Nitish Rajput
BeerBiceps
8
AudiencesforJoeRoganandTuckerCarlsonaretwiceaslikelytobemale(DigitalNewsReport2025).
14

5. YouTube is the most important platform for news creators
While Facebook remains an important platform in general,
it is video platforms such as YouTube (see chart below) as well as
networks with a high proportion of younger audiences that tend
to be the most important spaces for creators. The chart (right)
from the UK shows how traditional media still tend to take a
good share of attention on Facebook and X, but news creators do
better elsewhere. News organisations particularly struggle to
attract attention on TikTok and Instagram, networks that place a
premium on short-form and visual storytelling.
We find important and surprising country differences.
Facebook is still used more as a news platform in parts of Asia
(Thailand, Philippines) and Africa (Kenya) and as a result many
individuals have profiles there. Overall, we find that X and
YouTube are the most important platforms for political
commentators. YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are often
favoured by creators who explain or simplify the news, though
this is largely a function of the younger audience for this type
of content.
X is particularly important in the United States, South Africa,
Nigeria, and Japan and is still the main platform for following
politicians. Instagram is widely used for political content in
Brazil and Indonesia and is also very popular in India. It is often
the network of choice for lifestyle and infotainment content
along with YouTube.
Graph 9
50
20
51
5
PROPORTION USING EACH NETWORK FOR NEWS WHO
PAY MOST ATTENTION TO NEWS MEDIA AND CREATORS/
PERSONALITIES – UNITED KINGDOM
Q12_Social_sourcesYousaidthatyouusesocialplatformfornews…Whenitcomestonewson
[platform],whichofthesesourcesdoyougenerallypaymostattentionto?Base:Allwhogetnewson
Facebook=189,X=160,YouTube=167,Instagram=133,TikTok=99.
0% 20% 40% 60%
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
TikTok
41
44
35
45
34
49
Less
attention to
creators
More
attention to
creators
X
Least attention
to mainstream
media
Traditional news media/journalists Creators/personalities
Graph 16
9
12
PROPORTION OF THE TOTAL ONLINE POPULATION WHO PAY
ATTENTION TO NEWS CREATORS/PERSONALITIES ON EACH
SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORK
Q12_Social_sources.Yousaidthatyouuse[platform]fornews…Whenitcomestonewson
[platform],whichofthesesourcesdoyougenerallypaymostattentionto?Pleaseselectallthatapply.
Base:Totalsampleacross48marketsinthe2025DNR=97,055.
0% 5% 10% 15%
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
TikTok
8
8
6
2
X
Snapchat

Country-based Analysis
SECTION 2

In this section we explore the country data in more detail. We list the names of
some of the top individuals that people say they pay attention to, supplementary
information about what they are known for, and how many followers they have in
specific networks. We also include information about the top news brands people
say they pay attention to on social media and the use of different social and video
networks for news from our Digital News Report 2025. In the discussion elements,
we highlight news creators who are particularly popular or noteworthy.

UNITED STATES
Population 342m
Internet penetration 93%
Social media for news (weekly) 54%
TheUnitedStatesishometosomehigh-
profilenewscreators,manyofwhomhave
achievedsignificantreach,fuelledbyan
entrepreneurialculture,alargepopulation,
andahighuseofsocialmediafornews.The
listofmostmentionedindividuals(onthe
nextpage)isdominatedbypolitical
commentators,mostofwhomaremen.The
mostcitedvoicesarefromtheright,with
manypromotingthemselvesasalternatives
tothe‘fake’mainstreammedia.Xand
YouTubearethedominantdistribution
channelsforthiskindofcontentinthe
UnitedStates,asisclearwhenlookingat
followaccountsforeachindividual.Creators
withcontroversialorextremeviews(Alex
Jones,AndrewTate)arealsowellrepresented
inourdatadespitebeingbannedbysome
networks.OnlyAndersonCooper(CNN)from
thetoplistiscurrentlyworkingwith
mainstreammedia,thoughmanyothers
(TuckerCarlsonandMegynKelly)started
theircareersthere.
Around a quarter of the US population say
they pay attention to news creators or
influencers on a regular basis, according
to our data, with a similar proportion
saying they pay attention to traditional
brands. Perhaps surprisingly this puts the
United States in the middle range of
countries studied in this report. Having
said that, some US creators do have
outsized influence on the political
process, because of their role as
cheerleaders for Donald Trump – with
many being close to the administration
itself. Many of these individuals also have
significant international audiences,
adding to their impact.
The branded accounts of CNN, Fox News,
and the BBC are also widely followed on
social media providing important platforms
for their top journalists. Creator collectives
such as the Meidas Touch, The Bulwark,
Young Turks, Damage Report, Majority
Report, The Ring of Fire (all progressive),
and the Daily Wire (right-leaning) are also
well represented and an important feature
of the US market. We treat these as brands
rather than individuals in our coding.
Among left-leaning respondents,
progressive political commentators
dominate alongside satirists like John
Oliver. Elon Musk also appears in the
left’s top ten.
Traditional news figures (Dan Rather,
Rachel Maddow) and popular left-leaning
commentators (TizzyEnt and Kyle
Kulinski) round out the left’s list. Among
right-leaning respondents, the top names
are all conservative media personalities.
People on the right are more likely to cite
political news creators than those on the
left overall.
While political commentary is largely
consumed by older viewers, many younger
users access creators via Instagram and
TikTok, which have become home for a
broader range of views and a more
informal style. V Spehar, who operates
at @underthedesknews, has millions of
followers on TikTok for quick takes on the
news with a liberal focus. Matt Bernstein
posts on social justice and gender issues.
Quentin Quarantino is a meme account
run by young creator Tommy Marcus that
became popular during the pandemic. It
has recently shifted focus to Gaza and the
plight of Palestinians.
Rank Brand For News For All
1 Facebook 32% (+1) 64%
2 YouTube 30% (+1) 63%
3 X 23% (+8) 31%
4 Instagram 16% (+2) 41%
5 TikTok 12% (+3) 26%
6 WhatsApp 10% (+1) 26%
TOP SOCIAL, MESSAGING, AND VIDEO NETWORKS
BIG ON TIKTOK
BIG ON INSTAGRAM
Rank Brand
1 CNN
2 Fox News
3 BBC News
4 New York Times
5 ABC News
6 NBC News
7 MSNBC
8 CBS News
MOST MENTIONED NEWS BRANDS
IN SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS
VSpehar(3.6mfollowers)
TizzyEnt(7.6mfollowers)
MattBernstein
QuentinQuarantino
Is an American journalist and podcast
host best known for their TikTok
account, UnderTheDeskNews
Is best known for his vlogs and
commentary on pop culture,
social justice
'Friendly jew with long nails' posts
on social justice, gender
Meme account created and run by
30-year-old Tommy Marcus critiques
pandemicdenialismandmisinformation
20

Note: In some cases, especially near the bottom the list, differences in the number of mentions for individuals are very small. Given our survey methodology, and the associated margin of error, the precise rank order
should be read as indicative rather than definitive. Many other individuals were mentioned by respondents in the context of news, even if they do not make the top 15 using our approach.
Currentpoliticians(orrecentlyretired)areshadedgrey.
Personality name Known for Main platform Followers (global)
1 Elon Musk Owner of X, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, former Trump ally X 225m
2 Joe Rogan
US comedian and podcast host, UFC commentator, health
supplement entrepreneur
X/YT 15.5m 20.2m
3 Tucker Carlson Conservative commentator, podcaster, Trump supporter X/YT 16.5m 4.1m
4 Ben Shapiro Conservative commentator, host of daily podcast/radio show X/YT 7.9m 7.2m
5 David Pakman Left-leaning commentator, podcaster, radio host X/YT 0.4m 3.3m
6 Candace Owens Conservative commentator, podcaster, Trump supporter X/YT 6.9m 4.6m
7 Donald Trump Current president of the United States and businessman X/Truth Social 109m 11m
8 Megyn Kelly Conservative commentator, podcaster, ex-Fox News anchor X/YT 3.7m 3.8m
9 Bryan Tyler Cohen Left-leaning commentator, podcaster, radio host X/YT 0.6m 4.7m
10 Tim Pool Right-leaning commentator, podcaster, host of TimcastIRL X/YT 2.4m 1.4m
11 V Spehar
Journalist known for their TikTok account
UnderTheDeskNews
TikTok/IG 3.6m 1m
12 Anderson Cooper Host of the Anderson Cooper Show on CNN
X/CNN
channels
9.1m 19m
(CNN)
13 Fabrizio Romano Italian journalist known for scoops on football transfer news X/YT 26.9m 2.9m
14 Alex Jones Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist, reinstated by Musk on X X 4.4m
15 Charlie Kirk Conservative political activist and author (killed Sept 2025) X/YT 5.6m 3.3m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY UNITED STATES SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Rank
Left-leaning
respondents
1 David Pakman
2 Brian Tyler Cohen
3 V Spehar
4 Elon Musk
5 Dan Rather
6 Mehdi Hasan
7 Philip DeFranco
8 John Oliver
9 Joy-Ann Reid
10 Rachel Maddow
Right-leaning
respondents
Elon Musk
Joe Rogan
Tucker Carlson
Ben Shapiro
Candace Owens
Megyn Kelly
Donald Trump
Tim Pool
Charlie Kirk
Dan Bongino
Proportionthatregularlypay
attentiontocreators/influencers
insocialandvideonetworks
Creator breakdown by political leaning
ApartfromElonMuskthereisverylittlecrossover
betweenthoseontheleftandright.Peopleare
watchinglargelydifferentmovies.
Gender balance
attentiontonewsbrands/journalists
Now runs a digital-first operation
(ex-Fox news)
12 of top 15
individualsaremen
27%
27% (11th/24)
(11th/24)
Tucker Carlson

1 YouTube 28% (-1) 59%
2 Facebook 25% (-) 62%
3 Instagram 13% (-) 37%
4 X 11% (-) 18%
5 Facebook Messenger 10% (-1) 40%
6 WhatsApp 10% (+2) 29%
TOP SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS
Rank Brand
1 CBC News
2 CNN
3 CTV News
4 BBC News
5 Rebel News
6 Global News
7 Radio-Canada/ICI RDI
8 TVA Nouvelles/LCN
Population 39m
CANADA
US commentators dominate the
Canadian lists alongside a small number
of home-grown personalities such as
Jordan Peterson, mostly from the
political right. The top 15 list is made up
exclusively of men. The main networks
used for accessing creators are similar
to the United States, namely YouTube
and X. Facebook and Instagram (owned
by Meta) have restricted access to news
content on their platforms in response
to the Online News Act and this is likely
to have affected the popularity of some
creator content on these networks in
addition to news brands.
The most mentioned Canadian online
personality in our data is psychologist
and author Jordan Peterson. Originally a
University of Toronto professor, Peterson
rose to international prominence
through viral lectures and his book 12
Rules for Life. He is known for his critiques
of political correctness and for providing
a conservative intellectual perspective
on social and cultural debates. With
around 9m followers on YouTube and 6m
on X, Peterson’s influence is also felt,
across multiple countries, with a number
of mentions in Australia, the UK, South
Africa, and Norway.
News anchors from the main networks CBC,
CTV, Global News, and Radio Canada are
widely cited in our survey along with the
branded accounts for these networks. Rebel
News, a network that has been associated
with the alt-right, also gains significant
attention on social media (1.1m followers on
YouTube) as does one of its co-founders
Brian Lilley, who now works for the Toronto
Sun. Rebel News was accused of spreading
misinformation around the Covid-19
pandemic9
among other issues. Another
colourful character who has been given a
voice by social media is The Pleb, a former
truck driver who takes a populist, anti-
establishment viewpoint. The Pleb engages
directly with attendees at conservative
rallies, livestreaming political events for an
audience that now numbers around
250,000 YouTube subscribers.
Meanwhile left-leaning Canadians,
according to our survey, tend to pay
attention to public service broadcasters
CBC and Radio Canada, as well as US
talk show hosts such as John Oliver and
Stephen Colbert. Home-grown satirist
Cody Johnston has also built a following
of over 1m for his YouTube show Some
More News, with segments that critique
lazy media narratives. J.J. McCulloch is
one of Canada’s most successful
YouTubers with over 1m subscribers.
Based in Vancouver his videos cover
everything from the history of Canadian
politics to international and cultural
issues. He has also worked as a
cartoonist and commentator for local
and international publications.
YouTuber Hugo Travers/HugoDécrypte
also picks up a significant audience with
young French-speaking Canadians for
his explanatory videos.
9
https:/
/www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/09/justin-trudeau-rebel-media-canada-vaccine-misinformation
The Pleb's grassroots approach has won him a big audience
on the right
22

1 Elon Musk Owner of X, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla , former Trump ally X 225m
2 Joe Rogan US comedian and podcast host X/YT 15.5m 20.2m
3 Tucker Carlson US conservative commentator, podcaster, Trump supporter X/YT 16.5m 4.1m
4 Bryan Tyler Cohen Left-leaning commentator, podcaster, radio host X/YT 0.6m 4.9m
6 David Pakman Left-leaning commentator, podcaster, radio host X/YT 1.1m 6.6m
7 Philip DeFranco American pioneer of YouTube news commentary X/YT 0.4m 3.3m
8 Jordan Peterson Canadian psychologist, author, and social commentator X/YT 6.1m 8.8m
9 Anderson Cooper Host of the Anderson Cooper Show on CNN
X/CNN
channels
9.1m 19m
10 Brian Lilley Political columnist for Toronto Sun, co-founder Rebel News
X/Toronto
Sun
0.25m 0.3m
(TorontoSun)
11 HugoDécrypte Explanatory journalism for U35s, interviews with politicians TikTok/YT 7.4m 3.5m
12 Stephen Colbert Late night US TV host uses satire to comment on politics X/YT 6.7m 4.6m
13 Justin Trudeau Prime minister (2015-25), Liberal Party X/IG 6.7m 4.7m
14 J.J. McCullough Young(ish) Canadian YouTuber, journalist, and author YT/Substack 1m
15 The Pleb Reporter Former truck driver, now right-wing political commentator X/YT 0.2m 0.3m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY CANADA SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Proportion that regularly pay
attention to creators/influencers
in social and video networks
Gender balance
attention to news brands/journalists
20%
15 of top 15
individuals are men
26%
(16th/24)
(13th/24)
Jordan Peterson
Canadian academic with a global audience

ARGENTINA
Population 46m
Traditionalnewsbrandsstillplayastrong
roleinArgentina,withmanyofthemost
mentionedindividualsinoursurveyworking
forlegacyoutletssuchasTN(JonatanViale),
América 24 (AntonioLajeandEduardo
Feinmann),andLaNación+(Esteban
TrebucqandLuisMajul).Thesejournalists
dominatebothbroadcastandonline
discussions,illustratinghowestablished
mediastillprovidetheplatformforsomeof
thecountry’smostvisiblecommentators,
evenastheirinfluenceisamplifiedthrough
socialmedia.
The late Jorge Lanata, one of Argentina’s
most influential investigative journalists
until his death in December 2024 (just
days before our survey entered the field),
reflected this combination of legacy clout
and digital reach. Though he did not run
personal social media accounts, content
from programmes like Lanata sin filtro –
shared via Radio Mitre’s YouTube channel
– as well as the YouTube channel for his
show Periodismo Para Todos (PPT)
resonated enough to place him among the
top five in our ranking.
Alongside these established journalists,
a parallel set of politically engaged digital
creators has emerged. President Javier
Milei himself is the most mentioned figure,
with millions of followers across
Instagram and X, using social media as a
direct communication channel. Since his
election in December 2023, Milei has
taken a hostile approach to traditional
media by cutting government advertising
and through regular attacks on his own
widely accessed social media accounts
(6m followers on Instagram and 4m on X).
Around him we see an orbit of libertarian
commentators such as Alejandro Fantino
(founder of Neura Media), as well as
creators like Mate con Mote and Tipito
Enojado. Their sharp, often combative
style resonates with Milei’s base and
underscores the ideological skew of
Argentina’s online political sphere
towards conservative and libertarian
voices. Inside government, Manuel
Adorni, an economist turned presidential
spokesperson, has also become a highly
visible figure on Instagram and X.
Instagram is a key distribution channel for
Argentinian creators and influencers
including those who talk about politics – as
in many other Latin American countries.
Legacy journalists tend to be more salient
on Facebook, the most widely used
platform for news in Argentina, as well as
X, which although is less widely used
overall retains outsized influence among
journalists, politicians, and opinion leaders.
Meanwhile, YouTube and TikTok are rising
in prominence, particularly among younger
audiences, and have become the main
stage for libertarian commentators like
Mate con Mote.
Argentina’s media personalities online are
overwhelmingly men: 14 of 15 of the most
mentioned figures are male. The only
exception is Yanina Latorre, who focuses
on entertainment and celebrity news
rather than politics, pointing both to the
deep gender imbalance and the narrow
thematic focus of Argentina’s leading
digital commentators.
1 Facebook 38% (+1) 62%
2 Instagram 35% (+2) 61%
3 YouTube 28% (-3) 65%
4 WhatsApp 27% (-6) 75%
5 TikTok 17% (+2) 35%
6 X 12% (+1) 18%
Rank Brand
1 TN (Todo Noticias)
2 La Nación
3 Infobae
4 C5N
5 Telefe
6 Crónica
7 Clarín
8 América 24
26

1 Javier Milei Argentina's president, known for anti-establishment rhetoric IG/X 6m 3.9m
2 Eduardo Feinmann Journalist and anchor known for conservative commentary X/IG 1.1m 0.6m
3 Jonatan Viale Political scientist and TV host – currently with ¿La Ves? on TN YT/X 1.2m 0.6m
4 Jorge Lanata
Influential journalist known for high-impact investigative
reporting and founding news outlets; died December 30, 2024
FB/X (PPT) 1m
(PPT)
0.7m
(PPT)
5 Alejandro Fantino
Multimedia host and founder of Neura Media, seen by many
as a friendly platform to Milei
X/IG 2.8m 0.6m
6 Mate con Mote
Political news influencer and analyst known for libertarian
views
TikTok/YT 1.6m 1.5m
7 El Presto Provocative libertarian political influencer and journalist FB/YT 0.8m 0.5m
8 Manuel Adorni Politician and current presidential spokesperson for Milei IG/X 1.2m 0.9m
9 Tipito Enojado Libertarian YouTuber and podcaster YT/X 0.5m 0.2m
10 Mauro Szeta Journalist specialising in crime/police reporting IG/FB 0.9m 0.6m
11 Antonio Laje News anchor, current host of A24’s Otra Mañana IG 0.9m
12 Emmanuel Danann
Conservative content creator and musician who comments
on politics and culture
YT/FB 2.2m 1m
13 Esteban Trebucq
Journalist and TV host known for outspoken opinions and
opposition to political correctness; current LN+ host
IG/X 0.4m 0.3m
14 Yanina Latorre
Media personality and radio host focusing on entertainment
and celebrity news
IG/X 3.2m 1.2m
15 Luis Majul Political journalist and commentator, hosts la Cornisa on LN+ X/IG 0.9m 0.3m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY ARGENTINA SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
A libertarian political commentator
22%
14 of top 15
individuals are men
36%
(15th/24)
(6th/24)
Mate con Mote

BRAZIL
Population 218m
Newscreatorsandinfluencersplayamuch
biggerroleinBraziloverallthanmostother
countriesinthisstudy,evenaslargebrands
likeGloboarealsowidelyaccessedviasocial
platforms.Politicianshavehugefollowings,
asdopoliticalcommentators,who
frequentlycombinesocialmediawithTV
andpodcasting.Celebrity,fashion,and
gaminginfluencersarewidelyfollowed
acrossnetworks.Instagramismuchmore
importantthaninothercountriesfornews
andiswherewefindthelargestnumberof
followersforbothpoliticaland
entertainmentcontent.
Legacy television remains highly salient
on social media. William Bonner (long-
time face of Jornal Nacional) and César
Tralli (Jornal Hoje), both from Globo, pull
substantial audiences on Instagram in
parallel with their broadcasts. Anchors
hosting crime shows such as José Luiz
Datena and Luiz Bacci also figure among
the group of legacy presenters who have
adopted a strong TV social media
presence, illustrating the heightened
public attention for issues around public
security. Others such as Luís Ernesto
Lacombe and Alexandre Garcia were once
important figures in legacy media but now
focus on digital-first, partisan content.
Both the current (Lula da Silva) and former
presidents (Jair Bolsonaro) have large
personal followings on social platforms,
which they use to regularly fire up their
political base. They are surrounded by a
large number of (mostly men) activist
creators with controversial views, such as
Nikolas Ferreira, a young MP, who
describes himself as a ‘right-wing Christian,
gun-savvy, defender of the family’.10
He
opposes abortion, drug legalisation, and
what he terms ‘gender ideology’. Other
right-leaning figures such as Augusto
Nunes, Bárbara (Te Atualizei) Destefani,
and Gustavo Gayer rely on Instagram for
reach and YouTube for monologues,
interviews, and live streams; some also
have radio/TV or podcast tie-ins.
While collecting relatively fewer
mentions, anti-Bolsonarista creators are
also an important part of this ecosystem.
Luiz Galeazzo (OiLuiz) packages daily
politics into short, high-tempo explainers
for YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok with a
generally anti-far-right line. Galãs, the
satirical duo made up of Helder
Maldonado and Marco Bezzi, delivers
daily live streams and clips dissecting the
news with humour and a centre-left/
anti-Bolsonaro bent.
The size of the Brazilian sample allows us
to examine partisan splits, and as with the
United States we find that social media
audiences are largely divided along
ideological lines. Left-leaning respondents
tend to follow anchors from Globo news
channels such as William Bonner and
César Tralli as well as commentators with
CNN. We find a similar skew with Erika
Hilton, a Brazilian politician, activist, and
prominent advocate for Black and LGBT
rights, and for Jones Manoel, who is a
Marxist-Leninist political activist. Among
right-leaning respondents, the top names
are predominantly conservative and
libertarian personalities. Right-leaning
audiences are more likely to cite a news
influencer than those on the left.
1 YouTube 37% (-1) 64%
2 Instagram 37% (+1) 61%
3 WhatsApp 36% (-2) 71%
4 Facebook 28% (-1) 52%
5 TikTok 18% (+4) 33%
6 X 9% (-) 16%
Rank Brand
1 Globo/G1
2 Record/R7
3 CNN Brasil
4 UOL
5 SBT
6 Band
7 Jovem Pan
8 Metrópoles
10
https:/
/web.archive.org/web/20230330020320/https:/
/istoe.com.br/a-estrela-do-conservadorismo
28

1 Nikolas Ferreira
Right-wing influencer (and MP) who campaigns on a
conservative/Christian platform
IG/X 19m 5.3m
2 Alexandre Garcia
Veteran ex-Globo journalist now a conservative YouTube
commentator
YT/X 3.1m 4.6m
3 Virginia Fonseca Beauty and lifestyle influencer and entrepreneur IG/TikTok 53m 40.5m
4 Leo Dias Celebrity reporter; runs his own entertainment site IG/FB 19m 2.9m
5 Jair Bolsonaro
Former president of Brazil; uses social platforms to
circumvent traditional media
IG/X 27m 14.1m
6 William Bonner
Editor and main presenter of TV Globo's Jornal Nacional
(will step down November 2025)
X/IG 9.4m 2.4m
7 Carlinhos Maia Influencer and comedian; famous for humorous content IG/FB 36.4m 9.2m
8 Augusto Nunes Veteran journalist, writer, and conservative commentator IG/X 1.9m 2.8m
9 Bárbara Destefani
Right-wing commentator and YouTube known for news
reaction videos branded 'Te atualizei'
X/YT 2.6m 2.2m
10 Luiz Bacci
Journalist and TV host of SBT (until January 2025 hosted a
popular crime show for Record)
IG/FB 24m 8.8m
11 Lula da Silva Brazil's current president (known as Lula), left-wing politician IG/X 14m 9.6m
12 Hugo Gloss
Blogger and influencer (real name Bruno Rocha da Fonseca)
with website and socials covering celebrity news
IG/X 22m 5.8m
13
Luís Ernesto
Lacombe
Ex-Band/Rede TV! anchor who has moved to digital channels IG/YT 3m 1.5m
14 César Tralli Journalist and presenter known for his career at Globo IG/X 4.5m 1.2m
15 José Luiz Datena Hosted a crime TV programme (Band TV), now at RedeTV! IG 1.1m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY BRAZIL SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Rank
Left-leaning
respondents
1 William Bonner
2 Portal do José
3 Galãs Feios
4 Leo Dias
5 Lula da Silva
6 Reinaldo Azevedo
7 Andréia Sadi
8 César Tralli
9 Erika Hilton
10 Thiago dos Reis
Right-leaning
respondents
Nikolas Ferreira
Alexandre Garcia
Jair Bolsonaro
Virginia Fonseca
Augusto Nunes
BárbaraDestefani
LuísErnestoLacombe
Gustavo Gayer
Leo Dias
Luiz Bacci
attentiontocreators/influencers
Creator breakdown by political leaning
ApartfromLeoDias thereisverylittlecrossover
betweenthoseontheleftandright.
Gender balance
attentiontonewsbrands/journalists
13 of top 15
individualsaremen
30%
33% (8th/24)
(9th/24)
Nikolas Ferreira, right-wing influencer
and MP (cc credit)

COLOMBIA
Population 52m
SocialmedianewsconsumptioninColombia
combineslegacyjournalistsanddigital-first
creators.OutletssuchasCaracol,RCN,
Semana,andElTiemporemaincentral,and
severalofthemostmentionedindividuals
(e.g.LuisCarlosVélez,DanielCoronell)are
currentlyorwerepreviouslytiedto
televisionandradio.Atthesametime,
satiristsandcreatorsaimedatyoung
audiencesfeatureprominently.
Walter ‘Wally’ Rodríguez stands out
among the digital-first voices and has
been outspoken in his support of
President Gustavo Petro. A lawyer-turned-
commentator, his Late Show-inspired
YouTube channel Wally Opina blends
satire and legal analysis, winning him the
Simón Bolívar award for opinion and
analysis on television in 2019. Alejo Vergel
is part of the same wave: a pro-Petro
commentator whose live streams,
explainers, and interviews have attracted
a sizeable YouTube following. Levy Rincón
(Notiparaco) brings a sharp satirical edge
with monologues, interviews, and live
shows that also lean left.
As government-friendly creators have
acquired influence, they have also
received growing scrutiny, wary of the role
they will play in the upcoming 2026
elections. Rincón and Wally have both
expanded their reach through
collaborations and slots with public
media, raising questions about
partisanship in publicly funded spaces.
News organisations have also published
critical reports documenting government
payments to influencers hired for
contracting or communications work.11
Among the individuals with traditional
journalistic backgrounds, Daniel Coronell
stands out as one of Colombia’s most
recognised investigative journalists and
newsroom leaders, with experience at the
head of RCN, Noticias Uno, and Cambio
magazine. Daniel Samper Ospina, a
journalist-satirist and former editor, has
also successfully built a large YouTube
audience. Luis Carlos Vélez and Juan
Diego Alvira, as well as other names with
slightly fewer mentions (Beto Coral, Julio
Sánchez Cristo, María Jimena Duzán) also
illustrate how legacy anchors often work
across radio, television, and social media,
keeping a foothold even as consumption
shifts online.
While the Colombian creator space tends
to lean left, when it comes to politicians
the most mentioned individuals lean to
the right. While current Colombian
President Gustavo Petro (the first
left-wing president in modern Colombian
history) attracts significant attention, he is
in the company of more right-leaning
voices like former president Álvaro Uribe,
Senator María Fernanda Cabal, and
journalist-turned-presidential candidate
Vicky Dávila. Global figures such as
Donald Trump and Elon Musk also make it
into the list, underscoring how
conversations from abroad, often from the
United States, filter into the global digital
landscape. The blurring between media
and politics is also evident in Colombia:
Vicky Dávila has shifted from journalism
into a presidential campaign, while Wally
is pursuing a seat in Congress after
building a large YouTube audience.
While men dominate the list of most-cited
figures, a handful of women also receive
mentions in the realm of politics and
news. Alongside politicians Dávila and
Cabal, Gabriela Alonso (Política para
Apolíticos) has carved out space on TikTok
and Instagram with accessible explainers
about ‘politics for the apolitical’ aimed at
younger audiences, showing there is also
an appetite for less partisan and more
explanatory content in the polarised
creator sphere.
1 Facebook 47% (-1) 68%
2 WhatsApp 35% (-6) 73%
3 YouTube 34% (-) 67%
4 Instagram 28% (-1) 54%
5 TikTok 27% (+5) 49%
6 X 13% (+1) 20%
Rank Brand
1 TV/Caracol Radio*
2 RCN
3 Semana
4 El Tiempo
5 CNN
6 Blu Radio
7 CityTV
8 El Espectador
11
https:/
/www.lasillavacia.com/silla-nacional/los-influencers-seran-una-pieza-clave-de-la-campana-por-la-presidencia
https:/
/www.elespectador.com/politica/petro-influenciadores-x-asi-se-mueven-lo-creadores-de-contenido-petristas-con-contratos-dps-sic-rtvc-gustavo-bolivar-noticias-hoy
*Thesebrandshavedifferentownersbutrespondentsdid
notalwaysmakeclearwhichtheywerereferringtosowe
haveaggregatedallmentionshere.
30

1 Vicky Dávila
Prominent journalist and news anchor known for commentary;
has launched a presidential bid as a right-wing independent
X/IG 4.1m 1.4m
2
Walter 'Wally'
Rodríguez
Lawyer and YouTuber known for political commentary;
outspoken supporter of President Petro
YT/X 0.5m 0.6m
3 Gustavo Petro Current president of Colombia with a strong digital presence X/IG 8.3m 2m
4 Alejo Vergel Political commentator and social media personality FB/YT 1.2m 0.5m
5 Álvaro Uribe
Former president of Colombia and influential figure in
contemporary politics
X/FB 5.4m 2m
6 Daniel Coronell
Respected investigative journalist with a long trajectory in
media leadership
X/YT 1.9m 0.6m
7
Levy Rincón
(Notiparaco)
Content creator and satirist known for left-leaning
commentary
X/IG 0.7m 0.7m
9 Luis Carlos Vélez
Journalist and news anchor; now hosts his own YouTube
newscast and hosts a programme on Univisión's 24/7 channel
X/IG 1m 0.3m
11
María Fernanda
Cabal
Colombian politician and current member of the senate
known for active social media presence and strong rhetoric
X/IG 0.7m 0.4m
12
Daniel Samper
Ospina
Journalist and satirist known for blending humour and news FB/YT 1m 0.9m
13
Pirry (Guillermo
Prieto)
Journalist, documentarian, and creator known for adventure
videos; often highlights environmental and social issues
FB/IG 5.4m 2.4m
14 Juan Diego Alvira Journalist and presenter known for his enagaging explainers IG/FB 1.4m 0.9m
15
Politícaparaapolitícos
(GabrielaAlonso)
Content creator focused on explainer videos about politics
and public policy in an accessible and non-partisan way
TikTok/IG 0.3m 0.03m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY COLOMBIA SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
Lawyer and YouTuber known for political
commentary
28%
12 of top 15
individuals are men
38%
(10th/24)
(4th/24)
Walter Rodríguez

MEXICO
Population 129m
Traditionalnewsbrandsremainhighly
influentialinMexico,whichranksfifthin
attentiontolegacymediaandjournalistson
socialmediaplatforms.However,strong
brandslikeN+(Televisa) andTVAzteca
co-existalongsideathriving,personality-led
ecosysteminacountrywherealmost
two-thirdsgetnewsfromsocialmedia
weeklyandmorethan40%sayitistheir
mainsourceofnews.Thelistofmost
mentionedindividualsreflectsahybrid
creatorecosystemthatcombinesanumber
ofwell-knownlegacyanchorsand
investigativejournalistswhohavedefined
Mexicantelevisionfordecades,alongside
pro-governmentYouTuberswithloyal
audiencesandsatiristswhoblurtheline
betweenpoliticsandperformance.
At the top of the list, Carmen Aristegui
and Carlos Loret de Mola are both veteran
journalists with an ongoing presence on
traditional media who have also launched
successful digital news companies.
Aristegui’s investigative work on abuse of
power has made her one of the country’s
most recognised watchdogs. In addition to
fronting a show on CNN en Español, she is
also the face of Aristegui Noticias, an
online news website she founded in 2012.
Her morning news show Aristegui en Vivo
is broadcast daily on her website and
YouTube, as well as the website of La
Octava (Grupo Radio Centro). Loret de
Mola, a former Televisa anchor, hosts the
radio programme Así las cosas on W Radio
and is also a co-founder of the Mexico-
focused, US-based digital news outlet
Latinus, which was critical of the
government of former president Andrés
Manuel López Obrador’s (AMLO).
Mexico’s news creator landscape is also
marked by the important role of
politically aligned YouTubers. Especially
notable is a group of creators who rose to
prominence during the AMLO presidency,
closely aligned with his Fourth
Transformation (4T) movement. Their
styles vary, from the rapid-fire takes of El
Chapucero to El Charro Político’s more
accessible, chat-style videos, but
together they were an important part of
AMLO’s digital ecosystem, defending
policies, countering critics, and shaping
the tone of online debate during a
government that had a combative
relationship with traditional media.
Mexico’s current president and AMLO’s
successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, has
generally taken a less hostile approach to
the media than her predecessor but
continues to give access to pro-4T
YouTubers at press events such as the
Mañaneras, a daily morning briefing,
broadcast and streamed, which is often
criticised for attempting to bypass the
scrutiny of legacy media. These 4T-aligned
influencers have not been without
controversy: fact-checkers have
documented cases where these channels
spread misleading or false information,
particularly during the pandemic.12
Satire and entertainment also claim an
important piece of the Mexican news
creator landscape. Brozo, the clown
persona of Víctor Trujillo, remains one of
Mexico’s most recognisable political
commentators, complete with a green
wig, make-up, and a deliberately
grotesque style that parodies the
spectacle of politics itself. Meanwhile,
infotainer Adela Micha, who caters to an
audience interested in entertainment and
celebrity news, and travel and lifestyle
vlogger Luisito Comunica, both
underscore how non-political influencers
also occupy an important space in the
region’s news creator scene.
Although far from parity, women have a
stronger presence in the news creator
landscape than in other Latin American
countries analysed and are not
constrained to the realm of entertainment
as is often the case: three out of the four
women on the list actively discuss or are
directly involved in politics, including
Sheinbaum, who is the country’s first
woman president.
1 Facebook 52% (+2) 76%
2 YouTube 35% (+1) 72%
3 WhatsApp 28% (-) 75%
4 TikTok 24% (+6) 50%
5 Instagram 15% (+2) 44%
6 X 15% (+1) 23%
Rank Brand
1 TV Azteca
2 N+ (Televisa)
3 Latinus
4 Milenio
5 CNN
6 El Universal
7 UnoTV
8 Imagen Noticias
12
https:/
/verificado.com.mx/como-un-grupo-de-youtubers-pro-4t-desinformo-sobre-la-pandemia/
32

1 Carlos Loret de Mola
Journalist and former Televisa anchor; founder of Latinus and
known for reporting on corruption and organised crime
X/FB 9.8m 3.1m
2 Carmen Aristegui
Longtime investigative journalist known for challenging political
power; founded Aristegui Noticias and CNN en Español host
X/FB 9.5m
(AristeguiNoticias)
7.2m
(AristeguiNoticias)
3
Joaquín López-
Dóriga
Spanish-born journalist and anchor, nicknamed 'The Teacher'
and symbol of old-guard television news
X/IG 8.4m 1.1m
4
Campechaneando
(Edwin Granados)
Creator of the Campechaneando YouTube channel, known for
staunch support of former Mexican president AMLO
YT/FB 3.3m 2.2m
5
El Charro Político
(Juncal Solano)
Prominent political YouTuber known for her enthusiastic
support of Mexico's ruling party; current city councilor
YT/FB 1.7m 1.1m
6
Adela Micha
(La Saga)
Veteran journalist and TV presenter known for interviewing
newsmakers and celebrities
FB/YT 4.3m 2.8m
7 Claudia Sheinbaum Current president of Mexico X/YT 4.4m 1.4m
8 Ciro Gómez Leyva
Mexican journalist and news anchor respected for his sober
and analytical style
X/IG 2.2m 0.4m
9
Nacho Rodriguez
(El Chapucero)
YouTuber and political analyst known for his support of AMLO YT/X 1.7m 0.4m
10 Brozo (Victor Trujillo)
Satirical clown character used to criticise politics through a
blend of comedy and journalism; part of Latinus
X/YT 7m 0.8m
11 Vicente Serrano
Journalist and YouTube host of Sin Censura; positions himself
as an independent, anti-establishment voice
YT/X 1.4m 0.8m
12 Chumel Torres Comedian and creator known for his political satire X/YT 4m 2.7m
13 Luisito Comunica
YouTuber and vlogger who rose to fame for his travel videos;
among the most popular Latin American influencers
YT/IG 45m 34m
14 Javier Alatorre Veteran news anchor and host of Azteca's Hecho programme X/FB 3.9m 0.6m
15
Atypical (Carlos
Alazraki)
Businessman, publicist, and producer; currently hosts Atypical
YouTube channel; has been critical of the current government
YT/FB 1.2m 0.8m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY MEXICO SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
Journalist and anchor, founder of Latinus
33%
11 of top 15
individuals are men
39%
(8th/24)
(3rd/24)
Carlos Loret de Mola

UNITEDKINGDOM
Population 68m
Traditional brands play a significant role
with many of the most named individuals
on social media working directly or
indirectly for one of the UK’s national
news organisations. These include the
political editors from ITV (Robert Peston)
and Sky News (Beth Rigby). The social
media accounts of BBC News, The
Guardian and Sky News significantly
outnumber any named individual, while
GB News and some of its more
controversial anchors (Neil Oliver and
Nigel Farage, who is the leader of Reform
UK) are also widely cited. At the same
time, US commentators and podcasters
such as Joe Rogan pick up a younger,
right-leaning crowd in the UK. Piers
Morgan, a former newspaper editor and
mainstream broadcaster, has now set up
his own digital operation aimed at UK, US,
and Australian audiences.
Comedian Russell Brand was once one of
the BBC’s top entertainment stars but has
shifted his focus to social media where he
promotes a mix of wellness topics and
fringe theories. On his daily Stay Free with
Russell Brand show he talks about
distrust in the government and
mainstream media and regularly
platforms figures from the US alt-right.13
Brand continues to lean into spirituality
and recently underwent a public Christian
baptism. Other right-leaning YouTubers
include Mayhar Tousi (Tousi TV) and
Konstantin Kisin, co-host of the popular
TRIGGERnometry podcast, and another
former comedian. Both are highly critical
of the mainstream media and so-called
political correctness.
Elon Musk has made a number of recent
interventions in British politics, including
criticising Keir Starmer’s government over
its response to grooming gangs and has
also argued that the recent UK Online
Safety Act (2023) is a threat to free speech
in the UK. Most recently he called for a
change of government when speaking at a
rally in London organised by far-right
leader Tommy Robinson.
Meanwhile, left-leaning UK audiences are
drawn to Owen Jones, a commentator and
Guardian columnist, known for his
outspoken views on politics and also on
the plight of Palestinians in Gaza. James
O’Brien is a radio talk show host whose
monologues on issues such as the
negative impact of Brexit – and which
frequently criticise those on the political
right – regularly go viral on YouTube and
TikTok. Less (or non-) partisan creators
include News Daddy (Dylan Page), who
has 17m TikTok followers, one of the
largest news accounts on the platform.
Page, who is in his twenties and not a
trained journalist, has attracted Gen Z
audiences all over the world for his
concise and entertaining news
summaries, presented in a short-form
video format.
Specialist content creators include the
Blackbelt Barrister, real name Daniel
ShenSmith, who is a practising lawyer and
mediator whose YouTube channel
explains the law and legal principles.
Recent videos have covered the
implications for free speech of the UK’s
controversial Online Safety Act and have
attracted considerable attention. He is
also a martial artist, holding a Black Belt
in Taekwondo. Martin Lewis is a hugely
popular personal finance expert who
works across traditional media (ITV, BBC)
and his own social media channels.
1 Facebook 17% (-) 63%
2 YouTube 13% (-) 54%
3 X 12% (-2) 24%
4 WhatsApp 10% (-) 70%
5 Instagram 9% (+1) 42%
6 TikTok 6% (+2) 18%
DIFFERENT KINDS OF GURUS
OFFERING ADVICE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Rank Brand
1 BBC News
2 Sky News
3 The Guardian
4 ITV News
5 CNN
6 PoliticsJOE
7 Channel 4 News
8 GB News
BlackbeltBarrister
RussellBrand
MartinLewis
Explaining the law
Spirituality and politics
Money saving expert
13
https:/
/www.nytimes.com/2023/09/19/arts/russell-brand-youtube.html
36

1 Joe Rogan US comedian and podcast host YT/X 20.2m 15.5m
2 Piers Morgan Eponymous online show, former newspaper editor and TV host X/YT 8.9m 4.1m
3 Owen Jones British left-leaning commentator and author X/YT 1m 0.8m
4
Mayhar Tousi
(TousiTV)
Political activist known for conservative and free market views YT/X 1.2m 0.4m
5 Konstantin Kisin Russian-British co-host of the ‘TRIGGERnometry’ podcast YT/X 1.5m 0.2m
6 Robert Peston ITV political editor, podcaster, active on social media X 1.3m
7 Elon Musk Owner of X, has made ‘free speech’ interventions in UK politics X 225m
8 James O’ Brien Outspoken talk show host/podcaster (left-leaning) for LBC X/YT 1.1m 1.2m
9 Black Belt Barrister Legal and finance advice on YouTube (also expert in Martial Arts) YT/X 0.8m 0.1m
10 Nigel Farage Leader of Reform UK and current GB News host. Big on TikTok YT/TikTok 2.3m 1.3m
11 Russell Brand Libertarian, comedian, daily online ‘Stay Free’ show X/YT 11.2m 6.8m
12 Andrew Neil Former BBC, former Editor of the Sunday Times, and Spectator X 1.2m
13 Beth Rigby Sky political editor and podcast host (Electoral Dysfunction) X 0.5m
14 Martin Lewis Personal finance advice, freelance, also works for BBC/ITV X/IG 3.2m 1.4m
15 Dylan Page Aka News Daddy on TikTok with hot takes on news, gaming etc. TikTok/IG 17.5m 2.4m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY UK SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
Now runs a digital-first operation:
Piers Morgan's Uncensored
12%
14 of top 15
individuals are men
16%
(21st/24)
(23rd/24)
Piers Morgan

FRANCE
Population 65m
News creators and influencers play a
smaller role in France than many other
countries, with more attention for news
brands. Young creator Hugo Travers
(HugoDécrypte) is the main exception,
getting significant volumes of attention
for his explanatory news videos and
more mentions than any mainstream
media account. Many commentators
combine social media with radio or TV
appearances. Right-wing and populist
politicians are also active in social
networks and well represented in
our lists.
Hugo Travers receives one of the highest
number of mentions for any individual in
this study. Most others on the list get far
fewer. What began as a YouTube channel
when he was a university student has
become a ‘go-to’ source of news for young
people in France with over 15 million
followers across different social media
accounts. Décrypte’s daily news update is
one of the most downloaded podcasts in
the country. His reach with young people
has enabled him to secure interviews with
key politicians and get access to press
conferences at the Élysée Palace. He was
recently chosen to ask a question to
President Trump.
Youth-focused brands such as Brut that
have pioneered creator-type approaches to
news, including accessible short-form
videos on social platforms, also feature
strongly and are mentioned more than
traditional brands such as LeMonde. Other
popular young French creators include
Salomé Saqué, who writes about the
dangers of climate change and right-wing
populism. Hugo Clément and Gaetan
Gabriele are two other young
environmentalists with a strong social
media following. Gabriele creates videos
with a humorous tone, which he uses to
critique government decisions and
corporate greenwashing related to the
climate crisis.
Newer networks have also become
important communication platforms for
the political right. Jordan Bardella, the
30-year-old former RN candidate for prime
minister, has 2.2m followers on TikTok,
with Marine Le Pen not far behind. At the
same time, the creator Squeezie (20m
followers on YouTube), who has become a
central figure in French youth culture,
weighed in on the other side of the
argument. In a social media post to his
followers, entitled Letter to the Young
People Who Follow Me, he warned about
the dangers of what he termed a ‘drastic’
rise of the far right.
Another notable figure is Clément
Viktorovitch, a French political scientist,
author, and online streamer known for his
expertise in rhetoric. He provides analysis
of political discourse and communications
strategies through various social
platforms including a morning show on
Twitch called Café Rhétorique.
Camille Aumont Carnel is a French
feminist activist and author, best known
for her work in sex-positivity and for
founding the popular Instagram accounts
@jemenbatsleclito and @adosexo. She
has become an opinion leader on issues of
sexuality, relationships, and equality.
Fashion and lifestyle influencers such
Jessica Thivenin, Caroline Receveur,
Chloe Gervais, and Lena Situations (real
name Lena Mahfouf) are especially
popular in France with younger female
audiences. The Lena Situations podcast
is one of the most streamed on Spotify
and includes lifestyle tips and interviews
with inspiring figures.
Rank Brand
1 Brut
2 Le Monde
3 Mediapart
4 BFMTV
5 CNews
6 Le Parisien
7 France Info
8 TF1
1 Facebook 33% (+1) 61%
2 YouTube 24% (+3) 53%
3 Instagram 21% (+5) 42%
4 WhatsApp 17% (+1) 51%
5 TikTok 12% (+4) 22%
6 Facebook Messenger 11% (+1) 35%
Salomé Saqué reports on the dangers of climate change and
right-wing populism
38

1 HugoDécrypte Explanatory journalism for U35s, interviews with politicians IG/YT/TikTok 5m 3.5m 7m
2 Hugo Clément Journalist, environmentalist, broadcaster, and filmmaker IG/TikTok 1.6m 1.2m
4 Pascal Praud Right-leaning commentator, broadcaster
X Europe
1 channels
0.37m
5 Salomé Saqué Writes on climate change, gender, and the rise of the far right IG 0.5m
6 Marine Le Pen Far-right leader (RN) banned from running for public office X/TikTok 3.1m 1.2m
7 Jordan Bardella President of National Rally since 2022. Big on TikTok TikTok/IG 2.2m 1m
8 Squeezie YouTuber and digital creator, central figure in youth culture YT/IG 19.5m 9m
9 Gaetan Gabriele Environmental content creator and climate activist IG 0.3m
10
Camille Aumont
Carnel
Feminist who runs Instagram account ‘jemenbatsleclito’,
addressing societal taboos around sexuality
IG 0.65m
11
Clément
Viktorovitch
Streamer who uses social platforms to popularise political
science and help decipher political language
YT/IG 0.4m 0.6m
12 Jessica Thivenin
Influencer and businesswoman, runs her own beauty and
clothing brands
IG/TikTok 6m 1.6m
13 Caroline Receveur One of France’s best known fashion bloggers IG/TikTok 5.5m 0.5m
14 Christine Kelly TV Host of flagship Face à l'info news show for C News IG 0.2m
15 Emmanuel Macron Current president of France (centrist) since 2017 X/TikTok 2.8m 6.5m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY FRANCE SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
Interviewing President Zelensky April 2024
16%
9 of top 15
individuals are men
24%
(19th/24)
(17th/24)
Hugo Travers (HugoDécrypte)

GERMANY
Population 83m
News influencers have limited impact in
Germany with just a few hundred
individuals named by respondents, many
of whom work for mainstream media
brands. News brands continue to resonate
strongly with many ordinary Germans,
even when using social networks,
especially public service brands such as
ARD (Tagesschau) and ZDF (heute).
Partisan political commentators are also
widely represented in our lists along with
explanatory podcasts and a range of
specialist creators covering finance,
bitcoin, and real estate.
One characteristic of the German market
is the strong showing for populist
politicians and right-wing commentators,
who have found an outlet on social media
for views that would previously rarely be
heard on the mainstream media. Leaders
of the AfD (Alternative for Germany)
party, such as Alice Weidel, have tapped
into social networks including X, YouTube,
and TikTok with posts often critiquing
government policies on migration as well
as the role of the mainstream media.
Some of these views are amplified by
right-leaning commentators such as Boris
Reitschuster and Tim Kellner, a former
police officer and soldier, and
Neverforgetniki, the pseudonym of Niklas
Lotz, a young German YouTuber who
regularly criticises the news media and
discusses mass migration and climate
change from a sceptical point of view.
Alternative brands with a strong social
media presence include NiUS, a collective
of right-wing YouTube commentators,
similar to the Daily Wire in the United
States. It’s run by Julian Reichelt, a former
editor of Bild. Tichys Einblick, a
conservative magazine, is also widely
cited by right-leaning respondents, along
with Junge Freiheit, a newspaper that has
been described as the ‘ideological supply
ship of right-wing populism’.14
Rezo is a YouTuber and an important
figure in youth culture. While his channel
is mostly focused on music and comedy,
he also frequently talks about politics. In
2019 he posted a viral video (20m views)
critiquing CDU (Christian Democratic
Union) policies on the environment,
sparking a wider media debate. He has
also warned about the dangers of
right-wing populism. Other creators
popular with the young include Herr
Anwalt, who explains legal issues in
simple language, and Mr Wissen2Go, real
name Mirko Drotschmann, who produces
YouTube explainers on politics and history
on his own YouTube channel and has
previously worked with a range of public
broadcasters.
Vermietertagebuch (Alexander Raue) is a
real-estate creator who increasingly
comments on politics/economics from a
finance/investor lens, and Aktien im Kopf
(Kolja Barghoorn) is another well-cited
specialist creator offering stock market
and economic commentary. Alicia Joe is a
YouTuber discussing digital culture,
influencers, and media.
1 YouTube 18% (-3) 51%
2 WhatsApp 15% (-) 73%
3 Facebook 15% (-1) 42%
4 Instagram 12% (+1) 37%
5 TikTok 5% (-) 15%
6 X 5% (-) 10%
Rank Brand
1 ARD/Tagesschau
2 ZDF/Heute
3 Welt
4 Der Spiegel
5 n-tv
6 Bild
7 NiUS
8 Focus
Rezohasattackedmainstream
politicsasfailingtheyoung
AlicaJoemakesdifficulttopics
accessibletoabroadaudience
MirkoDrotschmannproduces
explainersoncomplextopics
14
https:/
/www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article163314751/Junge-Freiheit-Ein-Besuch-im-ideologischen-Mutterschiff-des-Rechtspopulismus.html
40

1 Boris Reitschuster
Journalist known for his critical reporting on Russia and
politics from a right-leaning point of view
YT/X 0.4m 0.4m
2 MrWissen2go
Creates engaging explanations of historical and political
topics
YT 2.3m
4 Kolja Barghoorn Host at ‘Aktien mit Kopf’, a personal finance advice channel YT 0.7m
5 Tim Kellner Influencer, former soldier, talks about migration and identity YT/IG 0.6m 0.2m
6 Rezo YouTuber, went viral for attack on CDU over green policies YT/TikTok 1.6m 1.8m
7 Alice Weidel Co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party X/TikTok 1.2m 0.9m
8 Hoss and Hopf
Provocative podcast commentary on gender, politics, and
more
YT/IG 0.4m 0.3m
9 Herr Anwalt Real name Tim Hendrik Walter, explains legal issues for Gen Z TikTok/YT 7.2m 1m
10
Tilo Jung (Jung
Naiv)
Podcaster known for informal interviews with politicians YT/IG 0.6m 0.1m
11 Vermietertagebuch Online persona of property investor/adviser Alexander Raue YT 0.5m
12 Sahra Wagenknecht Founder of the populist BSW party (‘left conservatism’) YT/X 0.7m 0.8m
13 Montana Black Popular creator, focusing on gaming in YouTube and Twitch YT/Twitch 3m 5.6m
14 Lanz Precht Popular podcast from a TV presenter and a philosopher YT 1.7m
15 Oliver Pocher Comedian/TV host known for his wit and provocative style X 0.7m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY GERMANY SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
Tim Hendrik Walter is a TikTok star with
7.2m followers
10%
15 of top 17
individuals are men
17%
(24th/24)
(21st/24)
Herr Anwalt

1 Facebook 19% (-3) 52%
2 WhatsApp 16% (-3) 74%
3 YouTube 13% (-3) 48%
4 Instagram 12% (-1) 40%
5 TikTok 7% (+1) 18%
6 X 6% (-1) 12%
Rank Brand
1 NOS (public broadcaster)
2 Nu.nl
3 RTL Nieuws
4 AD (Algemeen Dagblad)
5 Cestmocro
6 Telegraaf
7 BBC News
8 CNN
Population 18m
NETHERLANDS
The list of individuals and creators
associated with news in the Netherlands is
extremely sparse and mostly populated by
journalists or authors who are associated
with traditional media brands such as De
Telegraaf and DeVolkskrant or with the
public broadcaster NOS.
A few US and British YouTubers and
TikTokkers also get a mention as English is
widely spoken in the Netherlands. The low
number of mentions for Dutch creators is
consistent with a slower adoption of video
networks such as YouTube and TikTok for
news compared with many other countries.
One of the most widely mentioned social
media accounts in the Netherlands is
Cestmocro, an anonymous news meme
account aimed at younger users. It is the
most popular news account on Instagram
(1.2m followers) and has taken a strong
pro-Palestinian stance over the Gaza
conflict. We find a range of other Palestinian
supporting creators mentioned by younger
Dutch respondents including Motaz Azaiza,
a Palestinian citizen journalist and aid
worker from Gaza whose footage during the
early stages of the conflict regularly went
viral. The Palestinian Eye Instagram account
was also widely mentioned.
RapNieuwsTV is another influential
Instagram account (634,000 subscribers)
which posts on a variety of topics, including
music and general news. A study by the
Dutch media regulator (Commissariaat voor
de Media) found that its news was trusted
by less than a fifth of the young people that
use or follow it.
Columnists associated with traditional
media brands include Wierd Duk, who is a
journalist and historian who hosts a weekly
podcast and appears regularly as a
commentator on Dutch radio and television.
Maarten Keulemans is a science journalist
who won awards for his coverage of the
Covid-19 pandemic. He is known for
engaging with the public’s questions on
social media, embodying a new style of
transparent science journalism. Arjen
Lubach is a Dutch satirist, comedian, and
late-night talk show host. His show has
become a popular source of news for
younger people, according to research
studies, because it provides important
information and context on topical stories in
an engaging way. Lubach became widely
known for his 2017 viral spoof video
(America First, Netherlands Second) aimed
at the Trump administration, which gained
over 30m views.
Also appealing to that younger audience
is a teenage news creator who goes by the
name Bender (real name Benjamin Buit).
He has almost half a million followers on
TikTok and also produces content for
YouTube and Instagram. He calls himself
a humorous journalist with a critical edge’
and is frequently found at demonstrations
and other public events. He asks for
financial support from his followers.
Jan Roos is a journalist and YouTube
personality known for his role as co-host of
RoddelPraat, an online show focused on
Dutch celebrity gossip (300,000 subscribers
on YouTube). His blunt style has also led to
controversy and legal challenges.15
Enzo Knol is probably the best-known
Dutch creator, having posted a video to
YouTube every day since 2013. He has 3m
followers on YouTube and almost 2m on
TikTok, but his focus is travel, challenges,
and other content that is unrelated to news.
15
https:/
/www.nu.nl/media/6358322/roddelpraat-presentator-jan-roos-wordt-vervolgd-voor-teksten-rond-sunneklaas.html
Cestmocro mixes hard news and humorous videos
(1.2m followers on Instagram)
Graph 11
Bender
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / EXECUT
Graph 12
42

1 Saskia Belleman Court reporter known for live-tweeting trials (De Telegraaf) X 0.27m
2 Wierd Duk Dutch journalist/ historian/podcaster (De Telegraaf) YT/X 0.62m 0.22m
3 Maarten van Rossem Dutch historian and media personality X 0.03m
4 Chris Klomp
Klomp uses social media and blogs to explain legal
proceedings
X 0.08m
5 Geert Wilders
Leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV), known for
populist and anti-immigration stance
X 1.6m
6 Motaz Azaiza Palestinian photojournalist covering Gaza conflict IG 16.5m
7 Maarten Keulemans
Science and health journalist (science editor at De
Volkskrant)
X 0.05m
8 Elon Musk Owner of X, CEO of Space X and Tesla, former Trump ally X 225m
9 Jan Roos
Co-host of ‘RoddelPraat’, a controversial YouTube show on
celebrity gossip
YT/IG 0.3m 0.1m
11 Joe Rogan US comedian and podcast host X/YT 15.5m 20.2m
12 Mentour Pilot Swedish airline pilot, provides insights into airline industry YT 2.3m
13 Arjen Lubach Dutch satirist, comedian, and late-night talk show host YT/IG 0.84m 0.4m
14 Denys Davydov Ukrainian citizen journalist widely followed in social channels YT/Telegram 0.9m 0.3m
15 Bender Teenager reporter, provides news for young people TikTok/YT 0.5m 0.2m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY THE NETHERLANDS SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
11%
14 of top 15
individuals are men
17%
(22nd/24)
(21st/24)
Wierd Duk
Podcaster, historian, and columnist

1 Facebook 24% (-1) 71%
2 YouTube 13% (-) 49%
3 Snapchat 12% (+1) 58%
4 Instagram 10% (-) 50%
5 TikTok 10% (+3) 23%
Rank Brand
1 VG
2 NRK
3 TV2 Nyheter
4 Dagbladet
5 CNN
6 BBC News
7 Aftenposten
8 Nettavisen
LIFESTYLE INFLUENCERS ARE
A KEY CHARACTERISTIC OF THE
NORWEGIAN MARKET
Population 5.5m
NORWAY
Our data suggest that there are relatively
few Norwegian creators or influencers
focusing on news specifically. English is
widely understood by Norwegians, and
partly as a result, US podcasters such as
Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson head the list
of most mentioned individuals on social
media – along with the owner of X Elon
Musk.16
Much of the attention for these US
figures comes from Norwegians that
identify as right-wing or very right-wing.
For most Norwegians, however, attention
tends to go to the social media accounts of
the big news brands such as VG, TV2, and
the public broadcaster NRK, as well as the
personal accounts of some of their key
anchors. Strong trust in Norwegian news
brands has made it harder for influencers
to find an audience, except in lifestyle or
other specialist areas that have been less
well-covered by the news media.
Fredrik Græsvik is one of Norway’s
best-known journalists following a long
career as a foreign and war
correspondent for broadcaster TV2,
including a long stint in the United
States. Græsvik is a prolific podcaster,
both on his own and in collaboration with
others. He co-hosts one show with
comedian Zahid Ali, for example, which
covers current events with a blend of
serious commentary and humour.
Wolfgang Wee Uncut is another popular, if
controversial, podcast, hosted by a former
NRK radio host and DJ. The show is notable
for unedited, long-form conversations, a
format that has drawn comparisons to The
Joe Rogan Experience, but also led to
controversy. Wee has received criticism for
recent statements made on his podcast,
including allegedly spreading Russian
propaganda and questioning
chemotherapy treatments for cancer.17
Norwegian brands (VG, TV2, and NRK)
worry about attracting younger readers,
which is why their focus has been on making
content more accessible and developing
short-form video content such as reels,
shorts, and TikToks. They face competition
from lifestyle influencers such as Sophie
Elise and Oskar Westerlin, who have loyal
followings on Instagram, TikTok, and
Snapchat – the last being a uniquely popular
network in Norway. In smaller markets
young influencers also tend to operate in
partnership with publishers. Victor Sotberg,
for example, is a YouTuber who gained fame
on NRK’s youth web show FlippKlipp.
Sebastian Solberg is a podcaster and family
blogger who discusses lifestyle and
parenting issues. Known as Sebb TV on
social media, he has been a vocal participant
in debates about children’s privacy in
influencer content.
16
Overall,39%ofthetop100individualnamesarecreatorsfromoutsideofNorway(mainlyfromtheUnitedStates).
17
https:/
/www.dagbladet.no/meninger/vi-gar-rett-i-fella/83171960
Victor Sotberg has a big fan base on YouTube; parenting
content from Sebb TV.
44

2 Donald Trump Current president of the United States and business man X/Truth Social 109m 11m
3 Tucker Carlson US conservative commentator, podcaster, Trump supporter X/YT 16.3m 4.1m
4 Joe Rogan Comedian and host of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast X/YT 15.5m 19.8m
5 Fredrik Græsvik
Freelance journalist, podcaster, and former foreign
correspondent (TV2)
X/IG 0.07m 0.03m
6 Oskar Westerlin
Young influencer, weighs in from time to time on online and
media controversies
TikTok/IG 1m 0.4m
7 Ben Shapiro US right-leaning commentator and media host, Daily Wire X/YT 7.9m 7.2m
8 Fabrizio Romano Italian sports journalist famous for football transfer news X 25m
9 Isabel Raad Lifestyle content, commentary on media and influencers IG/TikTok 0.4m 0.4m
10 Kristin Gjelsvik
Blogger and influencer, known for outspoken views on body
positivity, feminism, and mental health
IG/Snapchat 0.2m 0.1m
11 Fredrik Solvang Journalist with NRK, hosts weekly debate show
IG/NRK
channels
0.3m
12 Sophie Elise
Lifestyle and beauty influencer, sometimes engages in
political discussions
IG/Snapchat 0.6m 0.4m
13 Wolfgang Wee Former NRK, host of a controversial but popular podcast X 0.1m
14 Kadafi Zaman Award-winning journalist and presenter at TV2
X and TV2
channels
0.04m
15 Dylan Page UK-based TikTokker covering news for young generation TikTok/IG 17.5m 2.4m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY NORWAY SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
15%
12 of top 15
individuals are men
20%
(20th/24)
(19th/24)
Oskar Westerlin
Norwegian video creator and influencer
appearing on the Wolfgang Wee Uncut
podcast

SPAIN
Population 48m
The list of frequently named individuals is
split between established TV and radio
hosts using social media to expand their
presence, politicians, and political
commentators, and younger creators
connecting with their peers around a
broader range of content from gaming to
e-sports. Broadcast networks and legacy
newspaper brands such as El País and El
Mundo have enthusiastically embraced
social media, leaving less room for
independent news creators and
influencers. All of the individual names in
our list are Spanish and the vast majority
are men. There is limited attention for US
commentators when compared with
many other European countries.
Straddling politics and journalism are
Alvise Pérez from the right (currently an
MEP and who started with an influential
Telegram channel) and Pablo Iglesias on
the left, who was deputy prime minister
(2020–2021) and the founder of far-left
party Podemos. These personalities are
agents of polarisation for both the left and
the right, and sometimes influential in
public debates.
Another polarising figure is Un Tío Blanco
Hetero (UTBH), the pseudonym of
YouTuber Sergio Candanedo. UTBH is
known for his criticism of concepts like
modern feminism and political
correctness. His videos feature a white
mask and hoodie, and he presents himself
satirically as ‘a straight white guy’ while
delivering strident critiques of current
social issues. Not surprisingly most of his
followers come from the political right.
From the progressive left, Alan Barosso is
a young political scientist and author who
posts regularly across multiple platforms.
He runs two separate channels on
YouTube, a daily podcast on Spotify, and
has over half a million followers on TikTok.
Jordi Wild is a popular YouTuber and
psychologist known for his podcast The
Wild Project, which is sometimes
compared to Joe Rogan’s due to its similar
format of long-form interviews and a
blunt, provocative style. Wild has a
significant following in Spain (more than
6m subscribers on YouTube), and like
Rogan he often interviews controversial
figures and tackles divisive topics.
Angel Martín is a Spanish comedian,
actor, and TV presenter who in recent
years has become known for his satirical
videos on social media. These videos,
entitled ‘Informativo matinal para
ahorrar tiempo’ (Morning news to save
time), summarise the main headlines of
the day in a humourous way and became
a viral success.
One notable and much cited Instagram
account is Es.descirdiario (1m followers)
founded by author and journalist Sheila
Hernandez Torres. It focuses on telling
human interest stories for younger
audiences in engaging and visual ways.
Instagram plays a significant role in
supporting numerous lifestyle creators in
Spain along with YouTube and X. TikTok
and Twitch are mostly popular with
younger groups. Telegram and Facebook
also feature in terms of building followers
with different groups.
1 WhatsApp 24% (-3) 77%
2 Facebook 24% (-2) 55%
3 YouTube 19% (-3) 59%
4 Instagram 18% (-3) 55%
5 X 15% (-1) 24%
6 TikTok 11% (-) 31%
Rank Brand
1 El País
2 Antena 3
3 El Mundo
4 RTVE
5 ABC
6 La Vanguardia
7 Telecinco
8 20 Minutos
UnTíoBlancoHetero”(UTBH)
challenging‘politicalcorrectness’
AlanBarrosohasapresenceon
multiplechannelsincludingTikTok
NOTABLE SPANISH CREATORS
46

1 Carlos Herrera Veteran Spanish radio host for Cadena COPE (morning show) YT/IG 1m
(COPE)
0.4m
2 Alvise Pérez
Social media activist and controversial far-right political
figure; elected as MEP in 2024
X/Telegram 1.1m 0.7m
3 Sheila Hernández
Runs popular Instagram account Es.decirdiario focusing on
unusual (and positive) news stories from around the world
IG 1m
4 Ibai Llanos (‘Ibai’)
Spanish internet celebrity, e-sports streamer who has become
one of the world’s most followed Twitch personalities
YT/Twitch/IG 13m 20m 12m
5 Un Tío Blanco Hetero UTBH aka Sergio Candanedo, YouTuber and commentator YT 0.55m
6 Alan Barroso Young Spanish political communicator and commentator TikTok/IG 0.54m 0.22m
7 Juan Ramón Rallo Economist and libertarian commentator YT/X 0.9m 0.48m
8 Jordi Wild Podcaster and YouTuber often called ‘the Spanish Joe Rogan’ YT/IG 6.8m 3m
9 Marc Vidal Economic analyst, technology communicator, and speaker YT 1m
10 Iker Jiménez
TV journalist and presenter famous for hosting paranormal
and investigative programmes
YT/TikTok 1.1m 0.5m
11
Aitor Guisasola
Paredes
Lawyer whose YouTube channel ‘Un Abogado contra la
Demagogia’ critiques politics and media manipulation
YT 0.5m
12 Angel Martin Comedian, actor, known for satirical ‘morning news’ video X/IG 1m 0.9m
13 Vito Quiles Controversial right-wing commentator and activist IG/X 0.9m 0.5m
14 Pedro Sánchez Prime Minister of Spain since 2018 (centre-left) X/IG 2m 0.6m
15 Jordi Évole Investigative journalist and TV host known for satirical edge X/IG 3.5m 0.42m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY SPAIN SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
E-sports streamer has 17m followers
on Twitch
18%
14 of top 15
individuals are men
27%
(18th/24)
(11th/24)
Ibai Llanos

Rank Brand
1 Česká televize (CT1, CT24)
2 CNN (Prima News)
3 Seznam Zpravy (incl Seznam.cz)
4 TV Nova (Televizni Noviny)
5 iDnes.cz
6 Novinky.cz
7 Aktuálně.cz
8 DVTV
Population 10.5m
CZECH REPUBLIC
Traditional news brands play a strong role
and amass many more mentions than
individual creators in the Czech Republic.
Weseeahighlyfragmentedcreatoreconomy
whereonlyahandfulofpersonalitiesregister
with the public at scale, and where comedy,
infotainment, and accessible explainer
videos aimed at younger audiences draw
much of the attention alongside traditional
journalists and politicians. Facebook,
YouTube, and Instagram are the main
distribution channels.
Karel ‘Kovy’ Kovář, one of the country’s
most recognisable YouTubers, sits
comfortably at the top of the list.
He began his creator career with light
vlogs and gaming videos but evolved
into engaging and often funny explainers
on politics, society, and media literacy.
He acquired international recognition in
2017 when he interviewed Jean-Claude
Juncker (then president of the European
Commission) on behalf of young
Europeans and has been active in media
literacy efforts and youth outreach, serving
as a bridge between public institutions and
Gen Z viewers and millennials.
Pavel ‘Herdyn’ Mikeš, a former pro-gamer
turned Twitch star and YouTuber, has also
built a considerable under-35s following
through long Just Chatting streams and
highlight cuts that blend internet culture,
creator drama, and gaming-industry
commentary with occasional forays into
current affairs, including an interview in
2023 with then-presidential candidate
Petr Pavel on his WoLe Show. Others have
made similar gamer-to-politics transitions
building on large Twitch followings. For
example, while he only receives a small
number of mentions in our data, Petr
Žalud (CzechCloud) has also shifted from
gaming to recently hosting long
interviews with President Petr Pavel and
Prime Minister Petr Fiala on his channels.
A number of legacy-born figures have also
carved out audiences on social media.
Čestmír Strakatý, who hosted Reflex’s
Prostor X until 2023, is now primarily an
independent YouTuber and podcaster,
offering both free and paid versions of his
popular long-form interviews. Lucie
Borhyová, the long-time face of TV Nova’s
evening news, also makes the list, which
may be more a reflection of her presence
on Televizní Noviny’s social channels than
her lifestyle-focused Instagram account.
On the more overtly political side, Jindřich
Šídlo turns the week’s politics into
satirical video essays (Šťastné pondělí),
while Události Luďka Staňka offers a
faster-paced, punchline news parody. Jana
Bobošíková’s Aby bylo jasno (ABJ) serves a
right-leaning commentary audience, Kecy
a politika (Bohumil Pečinka and Petros
Michopulos) delivers blunt weekly
analysis in podcast-plus-YouTube form,
and Luboš ‘Xaver’ Veselý straddles
broadcasting and YouTube, closely
associated with XTV, the internet channel
he co-founded, which also receives a
number of mentions.
As in most countries, politicians also play
an important role. President Petr Pavel, a
retired general and former chair of NATO’s
Military Committee elected in 2023,
maintains a steady cross-platform
presence. Prime Minister Petr Fiala, a
political scientist and leader of ODS, uses
his X account for messaging focused
largely on policy and process. Tomio
Okamura, leader of the Freedom and
Direct Democracy (SPD) party, is highly
active on Facebook and YouTube, where
he promotes his far-right politics. The list
also includes Elon Musk, whose
ownership of X means platform-level
decisions and high-visibility posts often
reverberate in Czech online debates even
when the topics are not domestic.
1 Facebook 32% (-4) 66%
2 YouTube 19% (-2) 60%
3 WhatsApp 14% (-3) 58%
4 Instagram 14% (+2) 38%
6 X 7% (+1) 12%
50

1 Karel ‘Kovy’ Kovář
Online personality known for infotainment videos about
politics and society, aimed at young audiences
YT/IG 1m 0.8m
2 Andrej Babiš
Businessman and former prime minister of the Czech
Republic
X/FB 0.5m 0.5m
3 Pavel Mikeš (Herdyn)
Gaming streamer turned commentator, discusses internet
culture and current affairs with a focus on young audiences
Twitch/YT 0.08m 0.5m
4 Petr Pavel Currently president of the Czech Republic 2021-2025 IG/FB 0.8m 0.3m
5
ABJ (Jana
Bobošíková)
Right-leaning YouTube channel Aby bylo jasno (To Make It
Clear), co-hosted by former TV news anchor and MEP
YT 0.1m
6 Jindřich Šídlo
Veteran political journalist, currently creator of satirical news
show on Seznam Zprávy
X/IG 0.3m 0.04m
7 Čestmír Strakatý
Journalist with roots in legacy media, known for popular
long-form interviews on YouTube and podcasts
IG/YT 0.1m 0.1m
8 Kecy a politika
High-impact political podcast by commentator Bohumil
Pečinka and strategist Petros Michopulos
YT/IG 0.05m 0.04m
9 Lucie Borhyová News presenter and face of TV Nova’s main evening news IG 0.2m
10
Události (Luďka
Staňka)
Stand up comedian and host of a satirical ‘news you didn’t
know you needed’ show
YT/FB 0.1m 0.04m
11
Luboš Xaver Veselý
(Xaver)
Controversial talk-show host and vlogger known for alternative
commentary on politics and news, co-founder of XTV
YT/FB 0.1m 0.05m
12 Tomio Okamura Far-right politician and entrepreneur FB/X 0.5m 0.06m
14 Petr Fiala Prime minister of the Czech Republic 2021-2025 X/FB 0.4m 0.1m
15 Agáta Hanychová Model and broadcast media figure turned influencer IG/FB 0.4m 0.07m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY CZECH REPUBLIC SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
20%
13 of top 15
individuals are men
19%
(16th/24)
(20th/24)
Kovy
YouTuber and infotainment vlogger

Rank Brand
1 TV Republika
2 Kanał Zero
3 TVN
4 Onet.pl
5 OKO.press
6 Gazeta Wyborcza
7 BBC News
8 Wirtualna Polska (WP)
Population 40m
POLAND
Traditional news brands play a weaker
role in Poland’s social media ecosystem,
where some individual personalities
accrue as many mentions as large news
organisations, and where legacy anchors
are notoriously absent among the most
mentioned individuals. The most
influential accounts are a distinctly varied
mix of news, investigation, commentary,
satire, specialism, and lifestyle. Many of
the individuals mentioned are not overtly
political or politically aligned, but when it
comes to politics (political commentators
and politicians) the most mentioned
names skew conservative.
At the top of the list, Łukasz Bok is a
breaking-news curator who built one of
Poland’s biggest social news-related
presences. He created Katastrofy i
Konflikty Światowe (KiKŚ) as a teenager in
2013 to track conflicts, disasters, and
major events. KiKŚ now exists across
several platforms, breaking 1m followers
on Instagram, Facebook, and X, with feeds
consisting of rapid, source-linked updates.
Krzysztof Stanowski exemplifies the rise
of platform-centred, personality-driven
news: after making his name as a sports
journalist with traditional media, he
launched Kanał Zero in 2024, which
despite being a new entrant to the market
also appears at the top of the most
mentioned brands on social media.
Though Stanowski is one of its primary
hosts, Kanał Zero now operates as a
multi-host, YouTube-native newsroom
with daily long-form interviews,
investigations, and live discussion.
Stanowski himself has become one of
Poland’s most visible media figures, even
staging a self-described satirical
presidential bid in 2025 to ‘show what
elections look like from the inside’. He has
also been criticised for his combative tone
on X, including the use of direct insults.
At the younger end of the spectrum,
Mikołaj ‘Konopskyy’ Tylko has grown a
large audience by scrutinising influencer
behaviour and online scandals,
positioning himself as a watchdog within
the creator economy. Meanwhile, Piotr
Zychowicz’s Historia Realna stands out as
a specialist explainer/interview channel,
turning military history, geopolitics, and
security into long-form conversations that
perform strongly on YouTube. A former
deputy editor-in-chief of the conservative-
liberal weekly Do Rzeczy, Zychowicz is
often quoted by media sympathising with
the Polish right-of-centre.
Meme- and humour-led brands have a
wide appeal among Polish audiences too.
Make Life Harder packages news and pop
culture as shareable, ironic posts that
travel fast on Instagram, while visual
satirists like Michał Marszał draw
attention around big news moments with
image-led riffs that often go viral. Perhaps
unsurprisingly, this content sometimes
bleeds into the political, as in ORB, a
YouTube-native channel fronted by Bartek
Urbaniak with punchy videos about
current politics.
On the overtly political side, conservative
columnist Rafał Ziemkiewicz and
right-leaning commentator Witold
Gadowski use their YouTube channels for
weekly monologues and interviews, while
Prime Minister Donald Tusk uses his social
media presence for official
communication and crisis management.
Sławomir Mentzen, from the right-wing
alliance Konfederacja, has mastered
short-form videos on TikTok and YouTube
to reach younger voters. Meanwhile,
Wojciech Cejrowski bridges legacy and
social media, building on his long-running
travel brand (which remains on television),
while much of his online output is now
current affairs and political talk.
As in most countries, we find a stark
gender imbalance in Poland. The majority
of the most mentioned individuals are
men, and the sole woman on the list is
Anna Lewandowska, a lifestyle and fitness
entrepreneur, highlighting the absence of
women from the political sphere.
1 Facebook 40% (-2) 74%
2 YouTube 32% (+1) 68%
4 X 13% (+6) 19%
5 Instagram 12% (-) 37%
6 TikTok 11% (+1) 29%
52

1 Łukasz Bok (KiKŚ)
Breaking news curator with a long-standing account
providing updates on wars, disasters, and geopolitical events
IG/FB 1.3m 1.1m
2 Piotr Zychowicz
Historian and journalist specialising in WWII history, host of
Historia Realna YouTube channel
YT/X 0.7m 0.2m
3 Krzysztof Stanowski
Internet personality and media entrepreneur behind the
Kanal Zero YouTube news channel
X/IG 1.4m 0.6m
4 Rafał Ziemkiewicz Conservative commentator and author X/YT 0.3m 0.2m
5 Make Life Harder
Satirical, meme-driven news and culture account currently
maintained by Jakobe Mansztajn
IG/FB 1.7m 0.2m
6 ORB
Political comedy YouTube channel fronted by Bartek
Urbaniak, riffing on current events
YT 0.3m
7
Konopskyy
(Mikołaj Tylko)
Young YouTuber known for investigative videos and
commentary on internet scandals
YT/X 2.1m 1m
8 Donald Tusk Current prime minister of Poland X/FB 2.1m 0.8m
9 Anna Lewandoska Karateka turned fitness entrepreneur and lifestyle influencer IG/FB 5.7m 1.9m
10 Michał Marszał
Meme creator/journalist known for viral, image-led political
satire on Instagram
IG 0.5m
11 (Witold) Gadowski
Right-leaning commentator and reporter who built a large
audience through weekly monologues on YouTube
YT/X 0.5m 0.2m
12 Budda
Car-vlogger famous for giveaways and stunts, with recent
legal scrutiny boosting his notoriety
IG/YT 2.5m 2.5m
13 Wojciech Cejrowski
Travel host with long-running TV show. Online he combines
his travel persona with conservative opinion segments
YT/FB 0.8m 0.8m
14 Sławomir Mentzen
Far-right party leader who uses TikTok and YouTube to reach
young voters
TikTok/YT 1.7m 1.1m
15 Dział Zagraniczny
Listener-funded foreign-news podcast and site by Maciej
Okraszewski
IG/YT 0.1m 0.1m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY POLAND SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
24%
14 of top 15
individuals are men
25%
(13th/24)
(15th/24)
Krzysztof Stanowski
Launched a satirical election campaign
in 2025

Rank Brand
1 ABC News
2 7 News
3 9 News
4 BBC News
5 Sky News
6 CNN
7 The Guardian
8 SBS News
Population 27m
AUSTRALIA
Domestic Australian news brands (ABC,
7, and 9 News) are widely accessed on social
media networks with more than twice as
many mentions overall when compared
with individual creators or journalists.
Australian creators are also in short supply
with foreign personalities (mostly US and
UK) making up 87% of the top 15 most
mentioned names and 72% of the names in
the top 100. Many of those foreign creators,
commentators, and politicians are
associated with the political right (Donald
Trump, Elon Musk, Ben Shapiro, Joe Rogan)
helping to spread a range of libertarian and
anti-immigration views to some sections of
Australian society. Jordan Shanks and
Michael West are the most prominent
home-grown independent creators to make
the top list, along with right-leaning TV
anchor Andrew Bolt (Sky Australia) and the
global affairs editor for the public
broadcaster (ABC), Laura Tingle.
Michael West is an Australian
investigative journalist and founder of
Michael West Media, an independent
news website specialising in investigative
journalism. A former columnist for major
Australian papers (Fairfax), he is known
for reporting on corporate tax avoidance
and government accountability. His work
is supported largely by donations.
Jordan Shanks-Markova, known online as
Friendly Jordies, is an Australian YouTuber
and political satirist. He often interviews
politicians and uses comedy to engage
younger audiences. Shanks’ videos have
led to high-profile legal disputes, most
notably a defamation lawsuit by former
New South Wales Deputy Premier John
Barilaro, whom Shanks accused of
corruption and portrayed satirically. The
case was settled when Shanks apologised
and agreed to edit two videos to remove
content that Barilaro claimed were
‘offensive’.18
Shanks combines his YouTube
channel with live comedy shows and is
popular with many younger Australians.
Punters Politics, hosted by former teacher
Konrad Benjamin, is another initiative
looking to make the news more accessible
to ‘everyday Australians’. Satirical content
posted to YouTube and short-form video
platforms aims to explain complex
political topics, such as corporate tax
loopholes and lobbying laws.
Despite the relatively low impact overall
for Australian-born news influencers,
leading politicians have been attempting to
court popular news-adjacent and lifestyle
podcasters during recent elections – in
shades of Donald Trump’s playbook.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese,
for example, spent time with online
personalities such as Ozzy Man Reviews,
a comedian with 6.1m YouTube followers,
reality TV star Abbie Chatfield, and The
Grade Cricketer, the persona of two
super-fans who have a popular podcast
offering a comedic take on cricket culture
in Australia. The Grade Cricketer reaches
nearly 1m followers across X, YouTube,
Instagram, and TikTok and its creators
also make money from live shows.
1 Facebook 38% (+6) 71%
2 YouTube 29% (+3) 59%
3 Instagram 19% (+3) 46%
4 X 16% (+6) 21%
5 TikTok 14% (+5) 27%
6 WhatsApp 13% (+4) 36%
18
https:/
/www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-05/john-barilaro-settles-friendlyjordies-defamation-action/100596638
The Australian prime minister’s appearance on the Grade
Cricketer podcast
56

1 Joe Rogan US comedian and podcast host YT/X 20.2m 15.5m
2 Michael West Investigative journalist, founder of the West Report Website/YT/X 0.1m 0.1m
3 FriendlyJordies Australian YouTuber and political satirist (Jordan Shanks) YT/IG 1.4m 0.2m
6 Philip DeFranco Prominent US YouTube personality and news commentator YT/X 6.6m 1m
7 Megyn Kelly Ex-Fox anchor now podcaster and US-based talk show host YT/X 3.8m 3.6m
8 Ben Shapiro US conservative commentator, co-founder of The Daily Wire YT/X 7.2m 7.9m
9 Tucker Carlson US conservative commentator, podcaster, Trump supporter YT/X/IG 4.1m 16.5m
10 Piers Morgan Ex-UK broadcaster/editor now runs his own digital show YT/X 4m 8.9m
11 Andrew Bolt Sky News Australia host and conservative commentator YT/X 5.7m
(Sky)
0.03m
12 Laura Tingle ABC’s global affairs correspondent, former political editor
X/ABC
channels
0.3m
13 Tim Pool Right-leaning commentator, podcaster, host of TimcastIRL X/YT 2.4m 1.4m
14 Konrad Benjamin Host of Punters Politics, accessible news for the young IG/YT 0.5m 0.2m
15 Dylan Page UK-based TikTokker who does daily news round-ups TikTok/IG 17.5m 2.4m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY AUSTRALIA SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
23%
13 of top 15
individuals are men
29%
(14th/24)
(10th/24)
Friendly Jordies (Jordan Shanks)
Comedian and YouTube investigations

INDIA
Population 1442m
Survey sample primarily comprised of English speakers
Cheapmobiledata,risingsmartphoneand
socialmediause,combinedwiththelarge
potentialaudiencehelptoexplainthe
popularityofnewscreators,influencers,and
bigpersonalityjournalistsinIndia.Ourdata,
alongwiththeveryhighfollowercounts,
indicatethatthenamesatthetopofthislist
havesignificantreachandinfluence,atleast
withourmoreeducated,English-speaking,
urbanIndiansample.
DhruvRatheeisayoungYouTuber,
influencer,andactivistwhooperatesmainly
inHindi.BasedinGermany,Ratheefocuses
onnews,politics,andsocialjusticeandisalso
frequentlycriticaloftheModigovernment.
A2024videoentitled‘IsIndiabecominga
Dictatorship?’garnered26mviews.19
His
videosaimtosimplifycomplextopicsand
presenttheminanengagingway.Often
coupledwithhisownopinion,hereachesa
largeaudienceofyoungerIndians.
Inthe2025WorldPressFreedomIndex,20
Indiaranked151stoutof180countries.A
combinationofhighlyconcentratedmedia
ownership,politicalinfluenceonseveral
mainstreamnewsproviders,andconcerns
forsafetyhasseenmanyseasoned
journalistsmovingtheirreportingand
analysistoplatformslikeYouTubewhere
theybelievetheycanprovideamorecritical
perspective.AcaseinpointisRavishKumar
(14mfollowers),aformereditorwithNDTV,
whohasconsistentlyhighlightedissuessuch
asmediabias,communalism,and
suppressionofdissent.Heuseshisplatform
tohighlightwhathecallsthe‘collapse’of
independentjournalismunderModi’s
tenure.AbhisarSharma(9m+followers),
anotherformermainstreamTVanchor,
presentshisviewsonpoliticalissuesonhis
YouTubechannelwiththetagline‘Thisisthe
platformwhereweholdthepowerful
accountable’.
AkashBanerjee,apoliticalsatirist,isbest
knownforTheDeshbhakt,ashowthat
regularlylampoonsbothgovernmentand
oppositionpoliticiansandcritiques
traditionalmediapractice.Inthenews-
adjacentcategory,BeerBiceps(realname
RanveerAllahbadia)isacontentcreator
knownforhisfocusonself-improvement,
fitness,mentalhealth,lifestyle,andpersonal
development.TheRanveerShow(TRS)is
oneofIndia’smostwatchedpodcasts
availableinbothHindiandEnglish.
Newsanchorsandeditors-in-chieffromtop
TVnetworkshavealsoextendedtheir
personalbrandstomultiplesocialnetworks.
WhilemainstreamnewseditorslikeArnab
Goswami,RajatSharma,andAnjanaOm
Kashyapgarneralargeamountofmentions,
manydonothaveindividualsocialhandles
onYouTubebutexcerptsfrompopular
debateshowsappearthroughthesocial
channelsofeachnewsorganisation.
ThediversityofIndianinfluencersishardto
representinareportlikethiswherea
significantamountofcontentisconsumedin
locallanguages,withmanyofthetop
influencersoftenswitchingbetweenHindi
andEnglish.RazaGraphy(5m+followers),
akaMuhammedRaza,isoneofnumberof
YouTubechannelslookingtocheckfactsand
exposefakenews.NitishRajput’sshort-form
videochannels(7m+followers)areaimedat
youngeraudiencesandfocusonpresenting
multipleperspectivestoencouragecritical
thinking.AbhiandNiyuareahusband-and-
wifeteam(6.5mfollowers)whoalsocreate
videosthataimtosimplifycomplexissues
formillennials.
Theinfluencerecosystemisbothpolitically
influentialandfraught.AheadofIndia’s
recentnationalelectionsin2024,Prime
MinisterModicreatedandattendeda
NationalCreatorsAwardwheresomeofthe
country’stopsocialmediainfluencerswere
felicitatedbyhim;21
anodtotheirreachand
influencewithIndia’syoungervoters.Butin
anAugust2025directive,22
India’sapexcourt
urgedthegovernmenttoincludepenalties
formisconductbysocialmediainfluencersin
itssocialmediaguidelines.Contentcreators
likeRanveerAllahbadiaarenowfacingcourt
proceedingsforinappropriatecomments.23
AbhisarSharma,RajuParulekar,andother
journalistsarefacingcriminaldefamation
complaintsbyalargeIndianbusiness
conglomerate.24
India’sMinistryof
InformationandBroadcastinghasalso
indicateditwillsoonoutlinestepstocurb
platformsandinfluencersallegedly
disseminatingcontentthatmayincite
violence.25
Indiahastheworld’slargestYouTube
audience26
withcloseto491musersanditis
themostimportantnetworkforindependent
creatorsalongwithInstagram.TikTokis
bannedinIndia.
1 YouTube 55% (+1) 71%
2 WhatsApp 46% (-2) 69%
3 Instagram 37% (+4) 54%
4 Facebook 36% (+1) 50%
5 Telegram 22% (+2) 38%
6 X 16% (+3) 23%
Rank Brand
1 Aaj Tak
2 BBC News
3 NDTV
4 Times of India
5 Zee News
6 ABP News
7 Republic TV
8 India Today
19
https:/
/www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9253_M38Xk
20
https:/
/rsf.org/en/rsf-world-press-freedom-index-2025-economic-fragility-leading-threat-press-freedom
21
https:/
/timesofindia.indiatimes.com/gadgets-news/pm-narendra-modi-announces-national-creators-award-2024-list-of-winners-across-23-categories/articleshow/108330024.cms
22
https:/
/www.medianama.com/2025/08/223-sc-govt-social-media-conduct-rules-samay-raina-jokes
23
https:/
/www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg4g8q51xdo
24
https:/
/scroll.in/latest/1086665/court-summons-journalists-abhisar-sharma-raju-parulekar-on-adani-groups-defamation-complaint
25
https:/
/www.storyboard18.com/digital/parliamentary-panel-seeks-details-of-action-against-social-media-influencers-acting-against-india-64597.htm
26
https:/
/www.statista.com/statistics/280685/number-of-monthly-unique-youtube-users
58

1 Narendra Modi Indian prime minister and leader of BJP X/IG/YT 108m 96m 28m
2 Dhruv Rathee Creator and influencer often critical of the Modi government YT/IG/X 29m 14m 3m
3 Ravish Kumar Journalist, author, and YouTuber, former editor at NDTV YT/ IG/X 14m 4m 4m
4 Arnab Goswami News anchor known for right-wing views and combative style YT/various 7m (via Republic World)
5 Rajat Sharma Editor-in-chief of India TV, host of popular interview show YT/IG 72m
(IndiaTV)
1m
6 Anjana Om Kashyap Indian news anchor Aaj Tak, combative style YT/IG 72m
(Aaj Tak)
4.8m
7 Abhisar Sharma Journalist who discusses current affairs and social issues YT/X 8.4m 2m
8 Sudhir Chaudhary Editor-in-chief at DD and host of popular Decode show YT/X 6.5m
(DD)
7.9m
9 Nitish Rajput Indian YouTuber, digital content creator, and social activist YT/IG 7m 2.9m
10 Rahul Gandhi Opposition leader, former prime minister X/IG/YT 28m 11m 9.8m
11 Rajdeep Sardesai Lead news anchor, columnist at the India Today group X/YT 8.8m 0.2m
12 Akash Banerjee Host of The Deshbhakt, offers satirical takes on politics YT/IG 5.7m 1.1m
13 Abhi and Niyu
Husband and wife creators of inspirational, educational
videos
YT/IG 6.5m 2.8m
14 Sushant Sinha
Former TV anchor and host of Top Angle with Sushant Sinha
podcast
YT/IG 3.4m 1.7m
15
Ranveer Allahbadia
(BeerBiceps)
Host of the Ranveer Show (TRS), ‘India’s Joe Rogan’ YT/IG 11m 4.4m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY INDIA SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
38%
14 of top 16
named individuals are men
34%
(7th/24)
(7th/24)
Narendra Modi
The Prime Minister has hundreds of millions
of followers across social platforms

INDONESIA
Population 280m
Indonesians have embraced social media
to a significant extent across a range of
content genres including news, lifestyle,
entertainment, and religion. As a result,
this populous market offers many
opportunities for creators and journalists
alike. News brands such as Kompas, Detik,
and CNN Indonesia have invested heavily
in social channels and these branded
accounts attract considerable attention,
but younger Indonesians are attracted to
creators who look more like them, often
mix politics with comedy, or who explain
news in simple ways. Politicians have also
recently embraced platforms such as
TikTok and Instagram to improve their
image with younger voters.
Najwa Shihab is a leading Indonesian
journalist and founder of Narasi TV, a
respected digital media brand known for
independent, investigative news. The
company aims to provide an alternative to
mainstream media, which is often seen as
being influenced by political or corporate
interests. Najwa Shihab herself keeps an
independent profile, not least as host of
the political talk show Mata Najwa.
Deddy Corbuzier is a YouTuber (24m
followers) and magician who hosts a
popular podcast, Close the Door, which
uses a similar format to Joe Rogan in the
United States. He hosts wide-ranging
discussions with politicians, religious
leaders, and celebrities, but the podcast
has been criticised for not sufficiently
challenging controversial statements.
Corbuzier’s role has come under further
scrutiny after his recent appointment as a
communications adviser to the Ministry of
Defense – with the government looking to
harness the popularity of key influencers.
Other popular podcasts such as the one
hosted by Helmy Yahya are also criticised
for lacking sufficient journalistic scrutiny
of public figures.27
Political influencers
and podcasters in Indonesia often take a
strong pro- or anti-government stance,
including outspoken criticism of their
opponents, contributing to a polarised
environment.
The key channels for video-based news
creators are YouTube, Instagram, and
TikTok, the fastest-growing network
across all demographics. During the 2024
election President Prabowo Subianto
used AI-generated videos of himself as a
gemoy, or cute and charming grandpa.28
These played well with younger viewers
on Instagram and TikTok where he
cultivated a strong following. Former
president Joko Widodo has 59m followers
on Instagram where he defends his record
against corruption and makes arguments
about the need for further welfare reform.
News-adjacent and lifestyle influencers
are hugely popular in Indonesia. Ria Ricis
is a YouTuber and entrepreneur, best
known for her hijab tutorials. She has
amassed tens of millions of followers on
YouTube and Instagram. Ria is also the
founder of the Ricis Style hijab line and is
influential in the Muslim fashion
community. Atta Halilintar (38m
followers on Instagram and 24m on
TikTok) produces lifestyle and
entertainment content but is also
influential in shaping wider youth
discussions online. Willie Salim is an
influencer who is known for his creative
short videos, comedy skits, and high
engagement on TikTok where he has over
70m followers. Salim’s online persona is
built around his unsolicited acts of
kindness where he often buys large
quantities of food and distributes it to
people in need.
Indonesia also has a number of
anonymous or meme accounts, especially
on Instagram. The best known is Lambe
Turah (12m followers on Instagram),
which breaks celebrity news and gossip
and covers viral events.
1 WhatsApp 43% (-3) 76%
2 YouTube 41% (-) 67%
3 Facebook 39% (+4) 59%
4 TikTok 34% (+5) 51%
5 Instagram 31% (+2) 52%
6 X 13% (+1) 20%
Rank Brand
1 Kompas
2 Detik
3 CNN
4 Tempo
5 TVOne
6 Metro
7 Tribunnews
8 Liputan 6
AttaHalilintar RiaRicis WillieSalim
A NEW GENERATION OF INDONESIAN
INFLUENCERS MIXING LIFESTYLE,
MUSIC, COMEDY, AND POLITICS
27
https:/
/fulcrum.sg/public-officials-in-celebrity-podcasts-dodging-the-bullet
28
https:/
/www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-68028295
60

1 Najwa Shihab Host of popular TV show Mata Najwa, founder of Narasi TV YT/IG/X 10.4m 24m 9.7m
2 Deddy Corbuzier TV presenter, YouTuber, and host of Close the Door podcast YT/IG/TikTok 24m 12m 4m
3 Denny Sumargo Former basketball player, content creator, and TV host YT/TikTok/IG 8.4m 10m 6m
4 Rocky Gerung Political commentor outspoken on democracy/human rights YT/ X 2.4m 1.2m
5 Dokter Tifa Outspoken influencer, critical of former president Widodo X/TikTok 0.2m 0.3m
6 Willie Salim
Known for comedic short lifestyle videos aimed at young
people
IG/YT/TikTok 76m 38m 15m
7 Raffi Ahmad Media personality, actor, TV presenter, and entrepreneur IG/TikTok/FB 77m 17m 16m
8
Joko Widodo
(Jokowi)
Ex president 2014–2024 (healthcare reform/anti-corruption) IG/X/YT 59m 22m 3.3m
9 Prabowo Subianto President, former military general with controversial past IG/YT/TikTok 15m 5m 0.8m
11 Atta Halilintar
YouTuber, content creator, especially popular with young
people
IG/YT/TikTok 38m 31m 24m
12 Anies Baswedan Academic and politician (stood for president in 2024) IG/X/TikTok 7.9m 5.4m 1.3m
13 Helmy Yahya YouTuber, podcaster, actor, and former leader at PSB TVRI YT/TikTok 2.2m 0.33m
14 Abraham Samad Lawyer, activist, known for his anti-corruption work YT/X 1.4m 0.3m
15 Ria Ricis Social influencer known for hijab tutorials/lifestyle content YT/TikTok 49m 37m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY INDONESIA SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
Founder of digital channel Narasi TV,
aimed at young Indonesians
44%
12 of top 15
individuals are men
25%
(3rd/24)
(15th/24)
Najwa Shibab

JAPAN
Population 123m
Japan has a relatively low adoption of
social media and partly as a result we find
a low number of mentions for individuals
such as creators and journalists (less than
250) and limited follower counts. The
biggest news brands, such as the public
broadcaster NHK, NTV, and Yahoo!, are
well followed on social media, but they
face competition from a diverse and
eclectic range of voices. Our list of most
mentioned individuals has a strong
representation from populist and
right-wing politicians as well as maverick
tech titans. Japan also has a large number
of influencer accounts that specialise in
celebrity scoops and news about crime,
often with little substance. X still plays an
important role in Japan when it comes to
news, with YouTube the other major
distribution channel. In a recent poll of
Japanese elementary schoolchildren,
being a YouTuber was the top dream job
followed by manga artist and
entertainer.29
Hiroyuki Nishimura, the current owner of
4chan, has amassed millions of followers
on social media, where he regularly
expresses outspoken and contrarian views.
He appeals in particular to young Japanese
who feel oppressed by the country’s often
rigid rules, and he has become so famous
that many people refer to him simply as
Hiroyuki. In a national poll, high-school
students said he was their top pick for
prime minister.30
Takafumi Horie (better
known as Horiemon) is another tech
entrepreneur, who founded the portal
Livedoor. He continues to make an impact
as a media personality after serving prison
time for securities fraud, linked to how he
grew the company.
The use of social media by populist
politicians has become a hot topic in Japan
following a July 2024 election where an
outspoken but little-known banker,
Ishimaru Shinji, almost won the race to
become the governor of Tokyo. Several
right-wing politicians feature in our list
including Takashi Tachibana, who is best
known for founding an anti-NHK party,
which targets the country's public
broadcaster. His political speeches have
been criticised for containing controversial
and discriminatory comments.31
Elsewhere, Takizawa Gareso is a social
media influencer who became popular
on X (formerly Twitter) for aggregating
and commenting on trending news
stories. Known for his speed and humour
he frames complex topics in a way that
resonates with younger audiences. Z Li is
another ‘anonymous’ account on X,
which has a reputation for breaking news
related to crime.
Another popular site with young people is
a YouTube channel NKTofficial (5m
subscribers) run by Japanese comedian
Atsuhiko Nakata. Self-styled as an
educational channel (Nakata University) it
provides videos that summarise and
explain complex topics in an accessible
format about Japanese history, science,
politics, and much more.
1 YouTube 23% (-5) 56%
2 Line 19% (-) 51%
3 X 17% (-) 32%
4 Instagram 6% (+1) 27%
5 TikTok 6% (+1) 18%
6 Facebook 3% (-1) 11%
Rank Brand
1 NHK (public broadcaster)
2 Yahoo! News
3 Nippon TV (NTV)
4 BBC News
5 TBS
6 Asahi Shimbun
7 ANN
8 Nikkei
29
https:/
/mainichi.jp/english/articles/20221202/p2a/00m/0et/012000c
30
https:/
/www.ytjp.jp/2022/05/27/koukouseiresearch-primeminister
31
https:/
/mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250705/p2a/00m/0na/002000c
62

1 Hiroyuki Nishimura Founder of the online forum 2channel, administrator of 4chan X/YT 2.6m 1.6m
2 Takafumi Horie Tech entrepreneur who founded the portal Livedoor X/YT 3.6m 2.2m
3 Yoichi Takahashi Economist and former economic advisor to Shinzo Abe YT/X 1.3m 0.8m
4 Takizawa Gareso Runs anonymous X account covering celebrity news and gossip X 2.9m
5 Akira Ikegami Veteranjournalist(exNHK) knownforexplainingcomplexissues YT 0.2m
6 Hikakin Pioneering Japanese YouTuber, businessman, and beatboxer YT/X/TikTok 20m 7m 2m
7 Takashi Tachibana
Activist and populist politician, founder of a political party to
oppose NHK bill payment
X/YT 0.5m 0.05m
8 Naoki Hyakuta
Author and former NHK governor now leader of emerging
right-wing Conservative party
Party channels
9 Kaori Arimoto Conservative commentator linked to Hyakuta and his party X/YT 0.6m 0.23m
10 Toru Hashimoto
Former governor of Osaka known as a fiery right-leaning
populist voice on talk shows
X/YT 2.5m 0.14m
11 Taro Yamamoto
Actor-turned-politician, leader of anti-establishment Reiwa
Shinsengumi
X/YT 0.6m 0.4m
12 Z李 (Z-Lee)
Controversial anonymous X account known for known for its
'exposé-style' content
X 0.9m
13 Fusaho Izumi Former mayor of Akashi, author, progressive political voice X 0.6m
14 Naomi Watanabe
Comedian and influencer, also known for body positivity
activism
IG/YT 10m 1.5m
15 Yusuke Narita Economist, public intellectual known for provocative ideas X 0.7m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY JAPAN SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
The 4chan owner has had a huge impact
on youth culture
11%
13 of top 15
individuals are men
14%
(22nd/24)
(24th/24)
Hiroyuki Nishimura

PHILIPPINES
Population 119m
Social media plays a major role in how
Filipinos access news when compared
with other countries but it is news
broadcasters and their journalists that
dominate the individual lists, rather than
independent creators. TV anchors
typically have their own Facebook or X
accounts but their chat/debate shows
tend to live within branded playlists, for
example on YouTube. Branded accounts
of the biggest news organisations GMA
and ABS-CBN are widely accessed, each
attracting almost 30m followers on
Facebook and 20m on YouTube. Facebook
remains a critical network for news in the
Philippines, though many younger
creators and audiences are increasingly
drawn to TikTok.
The gender mix of top individuals is more
balanced than in any other country in this
study with 8 of the 15 names women and
only 7 men. This reflects the strong tradition
of female journalists in the Philippines
across television, print, and online.
From the list above, only Christian
Esguerra fits our definition of news
creator in the political sphere. After a long
career in mainstream media, he set up as
an independent YouTuber and podcaster
in 2022. His show, Facts First, aims to
combat disinformation by providing facts
and context on burning issues in
Philippines politics.32
The other most mentioned names are
mostly longstanding anchors with the big
TV and radio networks. Jessica Soho, a
veteran news anchor for GMA, heads the
list and is best known for her long-running
programme Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho,
which features in-depth interviews and
human interest stories.
Female anchors associated with rival
broadcaster ABS-CBN include Karen
Davila and Bernadette Sembrano. Maria
Ressa, co-founder and CEO of Rappler,
also features on our lists along with her
digital-first news organisation, which
performs strongly on social media. She
was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in
2021 and is recognised for her fight for
press freedom in the Philippines and
around the world.
Misinformation spread through social
media has been a major concern in the
Philippines over the last few years with
vloggers and trolls spreading false
information on social media, often for
money, but few of these have a stable
enough footprint to show up in our data.
Maharlika is the online persona of Claire
Eden Contreras. Once a strong supporter
of the current president Bongbong
Marcos, she is now one of his most vocal
critics. Maharlika, who is based in the
United States, represents the rise of
partisan commentators who operate
primarily on Facebook and YouTube rather
than through traditional media.33
Politicians have also built large personal
followings on social media, with the
president’s official accounts registering
7m followers on Facebook and almost
3m on X.
Independent Filipino influencers largely
exist in the non-news or news-adjacent
arena. Ivana Alawi has won an award as
the top content creator on YouTube
(20m subscribers) several times for her
fashion and lifestyle content. She is
equally popular on TikTok where she has
22m followers.
Rank Brand
1 GMA Network
2 ABS-CBN
3 Rappler
4 CNN
5 TV5
6 Daily Inquirer
7 SMNI
8 BBC News
32
https:/
/reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/journalist-was-fired-largest-broadcaster-philippines-then-he-took-his-show-youtube
33
https:/
/opinion.inquirer.net/169803/maharlika-political-influencer-or-political-turncoat
1 Facebook 65% (+4) 81%
2 YouTube 50% (+5) 76%
3 TikTok 29% (+6) 51%
5 Instagram 14% (+2) 36%
6 X 11% (+2) 21%
Maharlika’s Facebook
page was originally
pro-Marcos (now
deactivated)
Christian Esguerra hosts Facts First, which aims to combat
disinformation within Philippine politics
64

1 Jessica Soho
A multi-awarded Filipino broadcast journalist with GMA
Network
Viabroadcaster
socials
2 Karen Davila Veteran news anchor and talk show host with ABS-CBN
Viabroadcaster
socials
3 Korina Sanchez
Host of a prime-time newscast, a news magazine show
(Rated Korina), and a tabloid style talk show (TV5)
Viabroadcaster
socials
4 Kara David Hosts documentary and magazine shows with GMA Network
Viabroadcaster
socials
5 Ted Failon
Long-time Filipino broadcast journalist and radio
commentator
Viabroadcaster
socials
6 Mel Tiangco A veteran news presenter with GMA Network
Viabroadcaster
socials
7 Raffy Tulfo
Filipino broadcaster-turned-senator, famous for his public
service programme Raffy Tulfo in Action
Viabroadcaster
socials
8 Noli de Castro Veteran broadcaster and former Philippine vice president
Viabroadcaster
socials
9 Atom Araullo
News anchor and documentary filmmaker popular with
younger audiences
Viabroadcaster
socials
10 Arnold Clavio Host of weekly Tonight with Arnold Clavio
Viabroadcaster
socials
11 Elon Musk Owner of X, CEO SpaceX and Tesla, former Trump ally X 225m
12 Christian Esguerra
Former news anchor now hosts the online political/news
analysis show ‘Facts First’
YT 0.6m
13 Ivana Alawi Lifestyle creator, model, and entrepreneur YT/TikTok 20m 22m
14
Bernadette
Sembrano
Broadcast journalist with ABS-CBN, co-anchor of TV Patrol
Viabroadcaster
socials
15 Maria Ressa Co-founder of Rappler and press freedom advocate
X/Rappler
socials
0.5m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY PHILIPPINES SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
Host of Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho
(news magazine show)
39%
7 of top 15
individuals are men
47%
(5th/24)
(1st/24)
Jessica Soho
Many broadcasters
have playlists within
broadcaster channels
for different shows,
which make it hard to
compare
Facebook, YouTube,
and TikTok are the key
channels due to video
content
Some shows have
followings of up to
30m

SOUTH KOREA
Population 52m
Creator and journalist news content in
South Korea is heavily focused on
YouTube and includes both live streams
and on-demand content. The most recent
Digital News Report data (2025) shows
that 50% of Koreans regularly watch news
on YouTube, much higher than the global
average of 30%. The growing impact of
creators and influencers has raised
concerns about the quality of news
circulating online.34
Debates on YouTube
tend to be more outspoken than on
conventional TV though partisanship has
also long been a part of broadcast output.
Social media accounts of creators and
politicians played a key role in shaping the
outcome of South Korea’s recent political
crisis, which culminated in the declaration
of martial law by President Yoon Suk Yeol
in December 2024. Progressive political
podcasters and YouTubers, who mostly
head our list, had been highly critical of
Yoon over autocratic tendencies, while
right-wing influencers amplified his
narratives, inflaming an already polarised
media landscape. Opposition leader Lee
Jae Myung also turned to YouTube,
livestreaming himself (creator-style)
climbing over the walls of the National
Assembly, urging ordinary people to
assemble in protest – attracting almost 3
million views. Lee, who became president
in subsequent elections, has spent more
than a decade building a loyal audience on
YouTube (1.2m followers). According to
the Korea Herald his videos ‘lean heavily
into humour, approachability and
meme-ready charm’.35
Kim Ou-joon is a popular and outspoken
former radio host who has moved his
programming to YouTube in recent years
where he has several million followers. In
our data, he has more mentions than any
other individual and more than any of the
top news channels. His Humility is Hard
News Factory podcast has over 2m
subscribers on YouTube and he was a
leading critic of the former president. He
also runs a second show Das Ist, hosted by
the Ddanji Broadcasting YouTube channel,
which has 1.5m subscribers. Both
channels are partly funded by Superchat
revenue, a YouTube feature that allows
viewers to pay to have their comments
highlighted during a live stream.
Another popular YouTube podcast is the
Maebul Show hosted by comedian Choi
Wook, who is known for his sharp wit and
high energy. Originally a variety talk show,
it has become an influential voice in
political commentary and is considered to
have a pro-Democratic party stance.
During the state of emergency in
December 2024, the channel received a
peak of 1m concurrent YouTube live
streams according to the newspaper
Chosun Ilbo. Another popular podcast is
hosted by former politician Ryu Si-min,
whose Alileo podcast includes both live
streams and on-demand content.
Outside politics, YouTubers have
developed content across a range of
specialisms. Defense TV is a channel
founded by Shin In-kyun, an analyst and
military commentator. The channel covers
conflicts such as the Russia–Ukraine war,
tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and
global arms development. Syuka (real
name: Jeon Seok-jae) is a former securities
fund manager who runs an economics-
focused channel Syuka World with regular
live broadcasts and over 3m subscribers.
Rank Brand
1 MBC News
2 SBS News
3 YTN News
4 KBS News
5 JTBC
6 Yonhap News
7 BBC News
8 Naver News
34
https:/
/journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1329878X221136931
35
https:/
/www.koreaherald.com/article/10491169
1 YouTube 50% (-1) 69%
2 Kakao / KakaoTalk 15% (-4) 57%
3 Instagram 11% (-1) 35%
4 TikTok 9% (+4) 23%
5 Facebook 6% (-3) 20%
6 X 6% (+2) 12%
Choi Wook's podcast, the Maebul Show, has become an
influential voice in political commentary
66

1 Kim Ou-joon Podcaster, YouTuber, outspoken critic of ex-President Yoon YT 2.1m
2 Choi Wook Co-host of Maebul Show (popular YouTube podcast) YT 2.5m
3 Ryu Si-min South Korean writer, former politician and podcaster YT/X 1.7m 0.4m
4 Lee Jae Myung Current president (2025-) and leader of the Democratic Party YT/X 1.4m 0.8m
5
Jeon Seok-jae
(Syuka)
YouTuber who runs a popular economics- channel Syuka World YT 3.6m
6 Kim Hyun-jung Anchor with CBS radio known for incisive interviews YT/IG 1.56m
(CBS)
0.12m
7 Lee Dong-hyung YouTuber with progressive views , runs Lee Dong-hyung TV YT 0.8m
8 Yoon Suk Yeol Impeached (2024) former president of South Korea YT/IG 0.78m 0.15m
9 Bae Seung-hee Lawyer, YouTube commentator (runs Bae Seung-hee TV) YT 1.6m
10 Sohn Suk-hee Broadcaster (ex JTBC) now associated with network MBC
YT
(via MBC)
5.6m (MBC)
11 Han Dong-Hoon Politician, former leader of conservative People Power Party Party channels
12 Ko Sung-guk Political YouTuber, professor, ex KBC presenter YT/IG 1.2m 0.24m
13 Shin In-kyun Defence analyst (hosts Shin In-kyun’s Defense TV) YT 1.5m
14 Kim Jong-bae Host of Kim Jong-bae’s Focus, shared on YouTube YT 1.7m (MBC radio)
15 Joo Jin-woo Investigative journalist who runs a news podcast on YouTube YT 0.3m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY SOUTH KOREA SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
Host of podcasts and YouTube shows
including Humility is Hard/News Factory
24%
14 of top 15
individuals are men
23%
(12th/24)
(18th/24)
Kim Ou-joon (김어준)

THAILAND
Population 72m
Socialmediaiswidelyusedfornewsin
Thailandandcombinedwithlowdatacosts
thishasencouragedheavyuseofnetworks
suchasFacebook,YouTube,andLINE–
includinglivestreamingofbothtelevision
anddigital-bornshows.Thishasencouraged
awiderangeofpoliticalandlifestyle
creators,someofwhomhavebuiltverylarge
followings.Infotainmentoftenovershadows
publicinterestreportinginThailand,and
onlinestreamingshowstendtoleaninto
tabloidformats,oftenmixingpoliticswith
comedy.Politicalconstraintsstillimpact
pressfreedominThailandwherelèse-
majestélawsimposeharshpenaltiesfor
perceivedroyaldisrespect,deterring
investigativereportingandreinforcingstate
narratives.Tosomeextentsocialmediaand
theworkofcreatorshaveextendedthe
boundariesofdebate,thoughnewcyber
lawsarehavinganimpact.36
Kanchai Kamnerdploy (widely known as
Num Kanchai), a former actor turned
presenter, is the most frequently
mentioned individual by respondents. His
daily talk show Hone Krasae is
characterised by tabloid-style interviews
on controversial social issues, often
featuring direct confrontations between
opposing sides. While broadcast on
television, the programme is regularly
extended and amplified through Facebook
and YouTube channels, where longer
formats and looser restrictions allow for
even more high-octane discussions.
SorayuthSuthassanachindaremainsoneof
Thailand’smostprominentnewsanchors,
bestknownforpresentingMorningNewson
Channel3.Bycontrast,moreanalytical
journalistssuchasSuthichaiYoon,aveteran
commentatorandfounderofNation
MultimediaGroup,andJomquanLaopetch,
notedforherprobinginterviewstyle,attract
strongfollowingsamongBangkok’s
educatedaudiences.Meanwhile,
personalitiessuchasSondhiLimthongkul(a
formermediamogul,protestleader,and
founderoftheManagerMediaGroup)
illustratehowjournalism,activism,and
politicsfrequentlyoverlapinThailand.The
NationalBroadcastingand
TelecommunicationsCommission(NBTC)
haspressedfortighterregulationofonline
platforms,butdistributionpowerlargelylies
withforeign-ownedcompaniessuchasMeta
andGoogle,limitingeffectiveoversight.
InfluentialTikTokkersincludeAnuwatNoom
(5mfollowers)andPhakkawat
Rattanasiriampai(PondonNews),whohas
builtanaudienceofmorethan3mfollowers
forhisconciseandaccessibletakesonthe
news.UseofTikTokfornewsisamongthe
highestintheworldaccordingtoourDigital
NewsReportsurvey,withcomedy,memes,
andinteractiveexplainersparticularly
popularwiththeyoung.DrLabPandaisa
medicaldoctorwhobecamewidelyknown
attheheightoftheCovid-19pandemicfor
debunkinghealthmythsthroughhispopular
Facebookchannel.
KanJompalang
(realnameKhan
Thitipong)isa
celebrity
influencerand
citizenjournalist.
Afterfirstgoing
viralwitha
novelty‘giant-
bowlnoodle’
businesshehasreinventedhimselfasan
onlineactivistwhochampionspeoplein
distress.KanregularlyusesFacebookand
TikToktohighlightsocialinjusticesandhelp
individuals.Hehascampaignedover
incidentsrangingfromchildabuseand
domesticdrugusetoassaultsonuniversity
studentsandallegationsofextortionwithin
theLGBTQcommunity–andarangeof
otherstoriesthathethinkshavebeen
overlookedbythemainstreammedia.37
AnexampleofThailand’sstrong
infotainmentnewsculturecanbefound
with‘Moddam’KachapaTancharoen,who
co-hostsapopularnews-talkshowKhaoSai
Kai(NewswithEgg).Theprogrammeisa
mixofnews,currentevents,entertainment
commentary,andopinion,andModdamis
knownforhisoutspoken,oftenhumorous
takeonissues,whichhasbroughthim
millionsoffollowersonFacebook,TikTok,
andInstagram.
Rank Brand
1 Thai Rath
2 Khaosod
3 Channel 3
4 Matichon
5 Ejan (crime)
6 ThaiPBS
7 Channel 8
8 The Standard
36
https:/
/www.article19.org/resources/thailand-silencing-dissent-and-the-fight-for-free-expression
37
https:/
/thethaiger.com/hot-news/crime/boy-found-safe-in-khon-kaen-after-drug-use-with-father
https:/
/thai.news/news/thailand/pathum-thani-lgbtq-rally-demanding-justice-in-unique-scalding-soup-incident-february-2025
1 Facebook 62% (-2) 77%
2 YouTube 55% (-1) 79%
3 TikTok 49% (+10) 67%
4 Line 41% (-1) 67%
6 Instagram 18% (+1) 35%
68

1
Num Kanchai
Kamnerdploy
TV presenter and news anchor, originally an actor, now
famous for hosting the hard-hitting talk show ‘Hone Krasae’
YT/FB/IG 9.6m 4.6m 2m
2
Sorayuth
Suthasanachinda
Veteran journalist, host of Channel 3’s morning show YT/FB/IG 1.6m 5.1m 2m
3
Anuwat
Fuangthongdang
Thai TV reporter widely followed across social media TikTok/IG 5m 0.5m
4 Suthichai Yoon
Veteran journalist, host of ‘Suthichai Live’ online, co-founder of
the Nation newspaper
YT/FB/X 1.6m 3.1m 1m
5 Sondhi Limthongku
Media tycoon-turned-activist/politician, founder of the
Manager Media Group
FB/YT 4.7m 2.3m
6 Kan Jompalang
Social media influencer and online activist who champions
people in distress
YT/FB/TikTok 1.6m 8.7m 1.9m
7 Pita Limjaroenrat Former leader of the progressive Move Forward Party FB/X/IG 2.2m 2.3m 2m
8 Moddum Kachapa
Co-hostsnews-talkshowKhaoSaiKai(NewswithEgg)where
currenteventsarediscussedwithhumourandcelebrity-styleflair
TikTok/FB/IG 1.1m 0.5m 0.9m
9 Jomquan Laopetch News anchor who puts opposing political figures ‘in the ring’ X/YT 1.4m 0.9m
10 KanokRatwongsakul Conservative voice, host of prime-time news talk show on TV FB/IG 1.4m 0.13m
11 Karuna Buakamsri
Veteran foreign affairs journalist, environmentalist, and
entrepreneur
YT/TikTok 1.4m 0.3m
12 Dr Lab Panda Doctor and influencer who debunks medical myths FB/IG/YT 3.6m 0.08m
13 Thaksin Shinawatra Former prime minister, currently facing another jail term FB 2.8m 0.9m
14 Paul Pattarapol
Former actor and singer, now creates finance related content
on social media
YT/FB/TikTok 2.1m 1.5m 1.7m
15
Phuttha ‘Buddha’
Apiwan
TV news host (Channel 8) noted for his tough interviewing
style
FB 0.4m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY THAILAND SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
Popular news-talk show Khao Kai
(News with Egg)
43%
14 of top 15
individuals are men
26%
(4th/24)
(13th/24)
Khao Kai (News with Egg)

KENYA
Population 56m
Kenyans use a wide variety of social
networks, with news and politics a key part
of the diet along with lifestyle, comedy,
religion, and other genres. Despite a lively
creator and influencer scene, the most
mentioned individuals in our news-related
list are anchors from the top TV stations.
These have followings in their own right
but also through playlists in branded
channels. Citizen TV, for example, has 6m
subscribers to its YouTube channel and
6.8m on X and promotes both live streams
and on-demand content. Independent
creators, many critical of the government,
regularly uncover stories of corruption or
other wrongdoing, while citizen journalists
and ordinary people use social channels to
document police brutality, for example at
recent anti-governments protests. The
government itself has an active digital
strategy, which often involves working with
influencers to disseminate public
information and talking points.
Entertainment and celebrity news is
another key characteristic of the Kenyan
market, with influencers and comedians
competing with independent creators and
digital-born brands. The Nairobi Gossip
Club’s Instagram account (3.3m followers)
is a much mentioned source along with
reality stars and so-called influencers.
TikTok is an important channel in Kenya,
especially for lifestyle content.
Larry Madowo is representative of a
younger cohort of journalists and creators
in a country where 75% of the population is
under 30. They have grown up with social
media and are comfortable with more
informal and personal styles of
communication. Other examples include
the comedian Eric Omondi, who though
primarily an entertainer, uses his platform
(5m followers on Instagram) to raise
awareness about economic hardships,
mental health issues, and the struggles
faced by vulnerable groups in Kenya. This
sometimes extends to raising money for
and advocating for individuals.
Elsewhere we find a number of
independent creators setting up YouTube,
Instagram, and TikTok channels. Lynn
Ngugi is a former video producer and host
with Tuko News and her regular YouTube
show (1.4m followers on YouTube) features
powerful personal stories – from survivors
of abuse to everyday heroes – that she says
are largely uncovered by mainstream
news. Oba Obinna, a businessman and
comedian, runs Obinna TV, which is both a
talent agency for creators and a production
house. His popular talk show is known for
candid interviews with celebrities, but he
also discusses men’s mental health and
political transparency.
The newsguy.ke is a popular figure on
TikTok where he breaks stories and curates
news using short, accessible videos. He
often presents the news from ordinary
locations such as his local barber shop – in
contrast to the slick studio sets of
traditional TV.
Edgar Obare is a Kenyan blogger notorious
for spilling celebrity gossip and ‘tea’
(scandalous exposés) on social media. He
operates primarily via Instagram, where he
invites anonymous tips to uncover alleged
infidelity, fraud, or other dramas involving
Kenyan public figures.
GenZlifestylecreatorsareagrowingfeature
oftheKenyanmediascene.TeminaSemoisa
lawyerandfashioninfluenceronInstagram,
butshealsousesherplatformtotalkabout
issuessuchasfemicideandwomen’srights.
ShawnDalmasisacreatorandpodcaster
whoismostlyknownforskincareeducation
butalsodescribeshimselfasahumanrights
advocateandclimateactivist,issuesthat
concernhisgeneration.
Rank Brand
1 Citizen TV
2 Tuko.co.ke
3 NTV
4 BBC News
5 Nairobi Gossip Club
6 KTN
7 CNN
8 Al Jazeera
1 YouTube 54% (-5) 78%
2 Facebook 52% (-8) 70%
3 WhatsApp 46% (-14) 74%
4 X 42% (+5) 54%
5 TikTok 38% (+2) 62%
6 Instagram 26% (-3) 53%
TheLynnNgugiShow
EdgarObare
TeminaSemo
ShawnDelmas
Thenewsguy.ke
72

1 Larry Madowo Now CNN correspondent, formerly hosted The Trend on NTV X/IG/FB 3m 1.7m 1.8m
2 Lulu Hassan Co–anchor for Citizen TV’s prime-time Swahili news bulletin IG/FB 1.7m 1.6m
3 Jeff Koinange Veteran host of talk show Jeff Koinange Live on Citizen TV X/FB/IG 2.5m 1.1m 1.2m
4 Cyprian Nyakundi
Controversial blogger known for his exposés on politics,
governance, and corporate fraud; subject of legal run-ins
X/FB 1m 0.46m
5 Rashid Abdalla Co–anchor for Citizen TV with his wife Lulu Hassan IG 0.8m
6 Stephen Letoo Young political affairs reporter at Citizen TV TikTok/X 0.6m 0.07m
7 The News Guy Digital creator who shares and curates news and comment TikTok 0.4m
8 Oga Obinna
HostspopulartalkshowObinnaShowlivefeaturing candid
interviewswithcelebrities,politicians,etc
IG/YT 1m 0.8m
9 Eric Omondi
Comedian and activist who often comments on current events
and social issues, supporting those in trouble
IG/TikTok 5m 0.9m
10 Morara Kebaso
Anti-corruption campaigner popular with young, blunt style
on social media has made him a polarising figure
FB/X
0.55m
0.3m
11 Fabrizio Romano Italian sports journalists followed for football transfers X/YT 25m 2.8m
12 Trevor Ombija News anchor (Citizen TV) and talk show host
X/YT via
Citizen
0.1m
13 Maverick Aoko
Controversial Kenyan online commentator known for her
‘loud, unfiltered and bold’ opinions
X/TikTok 0.5m 0.1m
14 Robert Alai Politician, blogger and cyber-activist X/IG 2.2m 0.1m
15 Lynn Ngugi Former news anchor, now runs her own YouTube chat show YT 1.4m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY KENYA SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
Former NTV, BBC, and now CNN
58%
12 of top 15
individuals are men
34%
(2nd/24)
(7th/24)
Larry Madowo

NIGERIA
Population 229m
Nigerian news creators are a mix of
independent creators and activists and
prominent hosts from TV and radio. Public
and private national broadcasters remain
key sources of information for most
Nigerians, but in some cases influencers
and citizen journalists are now breaking
stories ahead of mainstream media. Many
news creators are young and focus on
holding the government to account over
issues such as corruption.
X (formerly Twitter) remains a particularly
important channel for news in Nigeria
along with Instagram and TikTok. YouTube
plays a smaller role than many other
markets in this report and TikTok one of
the largest. Across networks, the number
of followers for the top influencers is
lower than you might expect for such a
populous country. This partly reflects low
internet penetration outside major cities
and high data charges. The contents of
our list may also be affected by our
English-speaking and mostly urban
survey sample.
At the top of the list and by far the most
mentioned news creator in Nigeria is
VeryDarkMan (VDM), the online persona
of Martins Vincent Otse. VDM is an
outspoken influencer and activist who is
on a mission to fight against injustice. His
posts often show him leading protests, for
example in seeking justice for the victims
of a massacre, or supporting teachers
demanding the minimum wage. His
outspoken videos have led him to be
arrested on several occasions.
Another prominent social activist is Aisha
Yesufu, the co-founder of the
#bringbackourgirls movement, which
brought attention to the abduction of 200
young girls by the terrorist group Boko
Haram. She also campaigns against police
brutality and has millions of followers
across X, Facebook, and YouTube.
Beyond politics, other creators are known
for posting entertainment and celebrity
news, mainly on Instagram. Linda Ikeji is
one of Africa’s best-known bloggers, who
runs multiple accounts dealing with news,
entertainment, and music. Instalog9ja,
GossipMillTV, and Gistlover are other
popular accounts. Afro-beat star Davido is
one of Africa’s most followed celebrities
(30m followers on Instagram alone). He
uses that influence for charitable
purposes, such as raising money for
orphanages in Nigeria. His posts
frequently influence Nigerian fashion,
language, and even politics.
Other notable creators include Dan Bello,
who is best known for producing comic
skits and political satire in the Hausa
language, and Abis Fulani, who uses his
TikTok account (3.9m followers) to educate
audiences on topics such as mathematics
and is actively involved in promoting Hausa
traditions and youth empowerment.
Aproko Doctor (Egemba Chinonso Fideli)
is a Nigerian medical doctor turned online
educator. He has over 2m followers on
both TikTok and Instagram and uses his
feeds to provide health tips, debunk
medical misinformation, and publicise
health-related news.
Rank Brand
1 BBC News
2 Channels TV
3 CNN
4 Legit.ng
5 Pulse
6 Punch
7 Al Jazeera
8 NTA (State broadcaster)
1 Facebook 65% (+3) 79%
2 WhatsApp 53% (-5) 80%
3 YouTube 49% (+5) 75%
4 X 49% (+9) 62%
5 Instagram 41% (+3) 68%
6 Telegram 31% (+1) 65%
74

1 VeryDarkMan
Nigerian social activist known for outspoken advocacy
against bad governance
TikTok/IG/FB 2.6m 2.6m 3.1m
2 Instablog9ja Instagram-based news/gossip outlet with a big following IG/X 6.4m 5.9m
3 Linda Ikeji Controversial blogger focusing on celebrity news and gossip IG/X 6.7m 1.7m
4 Tunde Ednut
Instagram page breaks viral stories and sparks public
conversation
IG/TikTok 1.2m 0.1m
5 Rufai Oseni TV broadcaster and news anchor on Arise News X/IG 1.2m 0.55m
6 Seun Okinbaloye
Political correspondent for Channels TV and host of the
flagship Politics Today show
X/FB 0.6m 0.3m
8 Fabrizio Romano Italiansportsjournalistfamousforfootballtransfernews X/YT 25m 2.8m
9 Reno Omokri Author and commentator, former presidential aide X/IG 2.7m 0.8m
10 Reuben Abati Veteran journalist and columnist, now a host on Arise News X 1m
11 Aisha Yesufu
Activist, co-founder of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign and
prominent End SARS protest figure
X/FB 2.1m 0.3m
12 David Hundeyin
Investigative journalist and author, founder of the West Africa
Weekly newsletter
X 1.1m
13 Dylan Page UK-based TikTokker covering news for young generation TikTok/IG 17.5m 2.4m
14 Davido
Afro-beat star David Adeleke drives conversation and debate
way beyond music
IG/X 31m 16.7m
15 Dan Bello
Nigerian activist who uses social media to speak on social
issues
TikTok/FB 2.2m 1.1m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY NIGERIA SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
Social activist and influencer
61%
13 of top 15
individuals are men
43%
(1st/24)
(2nd/24)
VeryDarkMan (VDM)

SOUTH AFRICA
Population 61m
Despite the widespread use of social media
for news, follower counts and mentions for
home-grown news creators in South Africa
are lower than in many other countries,
with news organisations still playing a
significant role. N24, eNCA, and public
broadcaster SABC are among those who
have adapted their content and style to
meet audiences on social platforms.
Among individuals, US-based South
Africans Elon Musk and comedian Trevor
Noah feature prominently along with
TikTok star Dylan Page, who spent much of
his childhood in the country. International
YouTubers and podcasters such as Joe
Rogan, Candace Owens, and Tucker
Carlson are also popular with our largely
English-speaking survey sample. Local
politicians are also well represented
among mentioned individuals, including
the current president, Cyril Ramaphosa,
and politicians and activists from the EFF
(Economic Freedom Fighters), who are
using social media platforms such as X to
build support for their message of radical
change. Younger podcasters and lifestyle
creators focus more on YouTube,
Instagram, and TikTok. Here their video-led
content combines politics, comedy, and
entertainment in accessible ways.
Macgyver ‘MacG’ Mukwevho is the main
host of South Africa’s most popular
podcast, Podcast and Chill, which includes
celebrity gossip, frank discussions about
sex, and current affairs and politics,
presented in a relatable and authentic
tone. But the show has also attracted
criticism from politicians and from the
media for promoting harmful narratives
and for allegedly misogynistic comments.38
Another controversial figure is Chris
Excel, an infamous online troll and
self-proclaimed ‘President of Black
Twitter’ (3.3m followers). He is known
for mean-spirited comments targeting
celebrities, politicians, and ordinary
individuals. Man’s Not Barry Roux is a
notorious parody account on X that came
to prominence during the Oscar Pistorius
murder trial, poking fun at the language
of defence lawyer Barry Roux. Beyond
the trial, the account, which has been
suspended and reborn under different
names, became famous for investigative
threads and often controversial political
commentary.
A number of creators have been
experimenting with approaches that mix
news, politics, music, and comedy. Sizwe
Mpofu-Walsh is an Oxford-educated
author and podcaster who blends hip-hop
with political analysis on The Sizwe
Mpofu-Walsh Xperience.
Politically Aweh bills itself as South
Africa’s wittiest news show, a weekly
YouTube show and podcast from
comedian KG Mokgadi and the team. It’s a
non-profit that is looking to raise
‘Aweh’ness and build civic participation
with the young. But YouTube is also home
to a range of serious thinkers. Penuel The
Black Pen is a host of The Penuel Show,
where he takes an in-depth approach to
politics, social issues, fatherhood, and the
history of South Africa.
Meanwhile in the news-adjacent space,
lifestyle content is hugely popular. Mihlali
Ndamase and Anele Mdoda are two
well-known influencers and personalities
who reach large numbers of people
though Instagram, Facebook, YouTube,
and X and are also mentioned by
audiences in the context of news.
Rank Brand
1 News24
2 eNCA
3 SABC
4 BBC News
5 CNN
6 Al Jazeera
7 IOL
8 Daily Sun
1 Facebook 50% (-1) 71%
2 YouTube 42% (-5) 71%
3 WhatsApp 41% (-5) 77%
4 TikTok 33% (+5) 55%
5 X 16% (-3) 25%
6 Instagram 15% (-2) 37%
38
https:/
/womenforchange.co.za/podcast-and-chill-with-macg-is-not-entertainment-its-toxic-and-dangerous
76

1 MacG Host of Podcast and Chill, candid celebrity interviews YT/IG 1.6m 0.44m
2 Elon Musk South Africa born entrepreneur and owner of X X 225m
3 Chris Excel Parody X account comments on celebrity culture and politics X 3.4m
4 Trevor Noah South African born comedian, former host of The Daily Show IG/YT 9.3m 4.2m
5 Dylan Page
Creator (aka News Daddy) of TikTok news round-ups, grew up
in South Africa
TikTok/IG 17.5m 2.4m
6 Somizi Mhlongo
Actor and socialite, talks on socials about living with HIV and
LGBTQ+ rights
X/FB 5.3m 2.8m
8 Fabrizio Romano Italiansportsjournalistfamedforfootballtransfernews X/YT 26m 2.9m
9 Piers Morgan Outspoken UK podcast host, now with digital-first operation X/YT 8.9m 4.1m
10 Joe Rogan US podcaster and former comedian YT/X 20.2m 15.5m
11 Musu Khawula Controversial gossip and celebrity blogger now in jail X/YT 0.25m 0.9m
12 Julius Malema
Leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), known for
fiery speeches relayed on social accounts
X/IG 4.5m 0.7m
13 Cyril Ramaphosa Current South African president X/FB 3m 0.6m
14 Andrew Tate
US/British personality and former kickboxer, known for
controversial views on masculinity and role of women
X(banned from FB and
YT)
10.8m
15 Bonang Matheba TV and radio personality, entrepreneur (aka Queen B) IG/X 5.3m 5.7m
MOST MENTIONED INDIVIDUALS FOR NEWS ON SOCIAL AND VIDEO NETWORKS BY SOUTH AFRICA SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Gender balance
Host of Podcast and Chill – interviews,
comedy, fun.
39%
14 of top 15
individuals are men
38%
(5th/24)
(4th/24)
MacG (Macgyver Mukwevho)

Conclusions
This audience-centric study, based on identifying
who people are paying attention to news on social
media across 24 counties, reveals how messy,
fragmented, and loosely defined news sources have
become for many people. Politicians and traditional
media have taken their wares to an unruly
information space where they compete with a rich
variety of news creators focusing on commentary,
investigation, explainers, and niche specialisms, as
well as infotainment and lifestyle creators, who
frequently get drawn into political and cultural
debates, either because they want to or because
their audience demands it. As all this is thrown into
the algorithm(s), it makes for a bewildering cocktail,
but one that is also richly creative, entertaining, and
informative – even if much of that information
cannot always be taken on trust.
News creators, and the forces that are driving them, continue
to develop at a rapid pace, but this study of more than 40,000
individual names suggests that the impact today varies
considerably across countries.
We find that there is set of populous countries, generally where
traditional media are under pressure and social media use is
high (e.g. Thailand, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Kenya, and the
United States), where news creators are having a significant
impact and where a few individuals are reaching a significant
number of people. At the other end of the spectrum, we find
countries with strong brands and lower use of social media
(mostly in northern and western Europe) where successful
news creators are the exception rather than the rule.
Another general observation is that even though the internet is
global, most news creators operate in a national context, due
to constraints around language but also cultural and subject
relevance. This is the case in Eastern Europe, most of Asia and
Latin America, and parts of Africa. The major exception is in
English-speaking countries where political ideas from the
United States, fronted by partisan and mostly right-leaning
commentators, are striking a chord with audiences in Australia,
Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. While those US
personalities still feature heavily in our top lists in those
countries, the numbers are relatively small and we could
expect to see local commentators filling that space over time.
Representation is another important issue in the creator space,
with our data showing that male perspectives tend to dominate
– especially in the field of political commentary. Putting
together our top lists of individuals across countries we find
that 85% are men. In most countries we also find that right-
leaning commentators heavily outnumber left-leaning ones
overall, but also that in politically polarised countries
audiences are often exposed mainly to creators that align with
their own views.
In terms of the platform mix, we find that political
commentators tend to gravitate to X and YouTube while
investigators, explanatory, and news-adjacent creators tend to
focus more on Instagram and TikTok (as well as YouTube). This
is partly due to the younger demographics that are interested
in a broader set of content and more video-led storytelling.
Again, our country pages show that there are many exceptions
to this rule, with Instagram widely used for political
commentary in India, Indonesia, and Latin America and
Facebook still a key network in the Philippines and Thailand.
What are the implications for journalism and society?
The rapid growth of news (and news-adjacent) creators is
providing an extra source of competition for pressured
mainstream media companies, especially with Gen Z and
millennial audiences that are already reluctant to go to news
websites and apps.39
In general, creators have been more adept
than media companies in moulding their storytelling and their
tone to the requirements of social platforms. They have also
mostly proved better at attracting and keeping attention in
fast-changing, algorithmically driven space. Finally, they have
embraced a broader set of audience needs around
entertainment, lifestyle, specialist, and passion-based content
– needs that the mainstream media have largely ignored.
In considering our typology of commentary, investigation,
explanation, and specialism, the level of challenge and
potential opportunities can be thought of differently, as
outlined in the table on the next page.
39
ReutersInstituteDigitalNewsReport2018–2025.
80

In terms of political commentary, our data suggest that
algorithmically driven platforms are pushing both creators and
audiences towards more sensational and partisan approaches.
Many media companies (e.g. cable TV in the United States,
upmarket newspapers all over the world) largely trade in
political coverage, which is why the popularity of online
commentators can be seen as such a threat. In response some
media companies are looking to compete on partisanship, and
others such as the Washington Post are looking to collaborate
with creators by bringing content (labelled) into their platform.
The main concern here is over the potential impact on trust. A
recent FT Strategies report, which interviewed a number of
different news creators, found that many did not accept
traditional journalistic norms around objectivity and
impartiality, which would make such collaborations
challenging, especially around news or politics.40
When it comes to investigation and original newsgathering, we
find that the number of creators is relatively low. There are
honourable exceptions such as open-source investigators and
fact-checkers, but many of these are relatively closely aligned
to existing journalistic standards such as fairness and accuracy.
There is very little money to be made from committed
newsgathering and longer investigations, which is why
competition from creators is likely to be low.
Explanatory creators are proving popular with younger
audiences and in this respect provide a useful function in
educating audiences that might otherwise miss out on regular
news. Because they rely on and remix traditional sources, they
are less interested in criticising or undermining the news
media. Because of the difficulty of sustaining this output and
making money over time, many creators have built mini-
brands and multiple revenue streams.
Specialism is becoming a central strategy for many news
organisations looking to create more distinctive content. Legacy
print newspapers have invested heavily in newsletters and
podcasts that provide detailed coverage of a particular area
because they have the potential to attract paid subscriptions
and drive revenue from events. But independent creators are
now operating in the same space with a lower cost base, leading
to a talent exodus for many news organisations. Columnist Paul
Krugman recently left the New York Times and now operates on
Substack. Taylor Lorenz, who writes on internet culture, left the
Washington Post and writes a newsletter and hosts a weekly
podcast. In this area ex-journalists join academics, lawyers,
footballers, musicians, and many others for whom content
creation is just one part of their portfolio.
Finally, in the news-adjacent informational lifestyle area, we
find a similar battle for talent and attention emerging, with
podcasts and live streaming taking attention away from
entertainment-based broadcast shows news. The demise of
late-night TV audiences from shows like The Late Show with
Stephen Colbert in the United States is part of this trend.
ImpactRating Current impact Potential responses
NEWS
Political
Commentary
HIGH Social- first commentators are attracting
attention but often sensationalise and play
to partisan feelings, pushing people apart.
Media companies could try to compete with creators or
invite some of them to contribute to their publications.
An alternative could be to emphasise ’responsible
difference’ e.g. considered analysis, balance of opinion,
different perspectives.
News
Investigation
LOW Creator impact is currently limited, due to
the costs of original investigation and
potential legal risks involved.
Media companies can learn new techniques (OSINT)
and/or hire the best creators. More original
investigations could be a useful point of difference with
the public.
Explanation MEDIUM Young creators are attracting considerable
attention by translating the news into
simpler and more compelling formats.
There are opportunities for media companies to copy
creator storytelling techniques to make content more
accessible and fun. Investing in explanatory news teams
is another option.
Specialism HIGH Creators are building small but sustainable
businesses in a range of niches such as
technology, football, and finance.
Media companies can build more niche content of their
own with creator-led approaches such as newsletters
and podcasts.
NEWS ADJACENT
Infotainment,
comedy, gaming,
music, and lifestyle
MEDIUM Considerable attention is going to these
lifestyle podcasters/vodcasters some of
whom also talk about politics.
Media companies can use the creator space as a way of
identifying new talent or to act as brand ambassadors,
though there are challenges over editorial control.
40
https:/
/news-sustainability-project.com/decks/News%20Sustainability%20News%20Creators%20Project.pdf

The future of news creators
This report provides a snapshot of activity by news creators
and other personalities on social media at a particular moment
in time. It’s a world that is noisy, hard to define, and changing
rapidly. It has big stars, a long tail, and much in between.
But where is it heading?
One of the biggest challenges for individual news creators is
burnout, driven by the pressure to keep audiences engaged and
the algorithm on your side. Being a creator is a popular ambition
for many young people, but few are making significant amounts
of money. Starting things is often fun, but keeping them going
can be a grind.
That’s why a number of creators highlighted in this report
are turning themselves into mini-businesses and brands.
Hugo Travers is now editor-in-chief of the HugoDécrypte brand
and employs over 20 staff to support his work. Johnny Harris
is building a creator-driven media business by launching a
network of independent YouTube channels through his company
New Press. The Tucker Carlson Network (TCN) is effectively a
mini media company with professional management at the back
end. Dave Jorgenson, once the Washington Post’s TikTok guy, is
launching a company specialising in short-form video (LNI)
together with former colleagues from the Washington Post.
Meanwhile, a number of news organisations (Le Monde, Die Zeit)
have been hiring young creators to run their social video content.
Others are setting up creator studios focused on talent-led
projects. The Independent (UK) is partnering with digital creators
including high-profile football content from Adam Clery (ACFC).
Vox has signed deals to help monetise the work of high-profile
creators Kara Swisher, Scott Galloway, and others. At the same
time, long-established digital-born brands such as PoliticsJOE
and Brut continue to develop new talent and formats.
The professional and creator worlds are converging, and that is
likely to mean more discussion about the need for regulation,
standards, training, and other approaches to build trust and
maximise commercial opportunities. These are outside the
scope of this report but are starting to be discussed elsewhere.41
We’re still at the beginning of this shift to online creator-led
media, and how it plays out will at least partly depend on the
role platforms play in promoting valuable and useful content,
the further development of business models to support these
creators, and the continued interest of audiences around the world.
41
FTStrategies;NewsCreatorsProjectAugust2025https:/
/news-sustainability-project.com/decks/News%20Sustainability%20News%20Creators%20Project.pdf
82

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https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2024/11/18/americas-
news-influencers/
IMAGE CREDITS
p. 9 Russell Brand. CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/
index.php?curid=170670693
Johnny Harris. YouTube/@johnnyharris
Raza Graphy. Instagram/@razagraphyunscripted
Hugo Travers. Instagram/@hugodecrypte
Kovy. By Show Jana Krause, FTV Prima
Taylor Lorenz. By Future in Review
P. 11 Brozo. By Richie Rich
Trevor Noah. By Web Summit Qatar - SZ1_8386
Alex Cooper. By Barstool Radio Clips - Did Alex Cooper have a
moment where she realized just how big she had become?
Steven Bartlett. By Steven Bartlett
Ibai. By Original: TRESCODerivative work: Artistosteles
Rezo. By Jen Loon
Virginia Fonseca By Agência Senado from Brasilia
Ria Ricis. YouTube/@RicisOfficial1795
p. 13: Joe Rogan. By Steven Crowder - YouTube
Leo Dias. By Jorginho Faria - Leo Dias em vídeo por Jorginho Faria
Deddy Corbuzier. By Netmediatama - YouTube: The Best Of Ini
Talkshow - Deddy Corbuzier Jadi Co Host, Penonton Histeris Senang
Dylan Page. Instagram/@dylanpage.ning
p. 14: Ravish Kumar. By Vice President’s Secretariat (GODL-India)
Dhruv Rathee. By NewsClickin - YouTube
Nitish Rajput. By Nitish Rajput
Akash Banerjee. By Akash Banerjee
Sham Sharma. YouTube/@ShamSharmaShow
BeerBiceps. Instagram/@beerbiceps
p. 20 Vitus (V) Spehar. By Karlie Lanni / Lushlight Photography
Tizzy Ent. Instagram/@tizzyent
Matt Bernstein. Instagram/@mattxiv
p.21 Tucker Carlson. By Gage Skidmore
p. 33 Carlos Loret de Mola By AlejandroLinaresGarcia
p. 36 blackbeltbarrister.com. Daniel ShenSmith
Martin Lewis. By Lenny Carter
p.40 Alicia Joe YouTube/@AliciaJoe
p. 60 Willie Salim. YouTube/@williesalim
p. 61 Najwa Shibab. By Christiani E. Landjaro
p. 73 Larry Madowo. Instagram/@larrymadowo
p. 75 VeryDarkMan. Facebook/@VDM
p. 77 Macgyver Mukwevho. YouTube/@MacG

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
@risj_oxford
e: reuters.institute@politics.ox.ac.uk
w: reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk
w: reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2025
w: reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news-creators-influencers-2025

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