Discussions on the appeal of news content to “younger generations” proceed relentlessly as media content continues to diversify. Reports on current events are now available on a multitude of outlets and platforms, all the while, business models of media companies, long penetrated by market logics of profit-making, try to adapt to changing circumstances. In this context, the “newsfluencer” emerged, hybridizing the social media influencer culture and monetizing practices, with journalistic work.

This shift is taken up by media scholar Edward Hurcombe in his 2025 article Conceptualising the “Newsfluencer”: Intersecting Trajectories. Hurcombe focuses precisely on these hybrid figures and proposes a framework for understanding newsfluencers as a new object of inquiry within journalism studies. He argues that while newsfluencers can be a highly effective way of reaching younger audiences, their rise also raises serious concerns about the future of core journalistic values, including objectivity and reliability.

To capture how newsfluencers operate, Hurcombe examines their reliance on platform-based distribution and monetisation, entrepreneurial business models, and forms of relational labour rooted in self-branding and fandom cultures. Based on this analysis, he outlines several directions for future research that aim to better understand the role of newsfluencers and their broader impact on journalism.

Using the platforms

Online content creation and the logics shaping it are a key dimension of newsfluencers. These are not simply journalists adapting online platforms to garner readership. Rather, these actors are fully influencers in how they use their platforms. YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok have emerged as perhaps the most relevant means of content distribution, explains Hurcombe.

What distinguishes newsfluencers from other platform creators is the nature of their content: they deal with news and current affairs. At the same time, their strong reliance on platform-based distribution blurs the boundaries between how news is traditionally presented by established media and how content is packaged and promoted on digital platforms. 

This convergence is not entirely new. Clickbait has long been a familiar feature of online news, including on the websites of legacy media outlets. Newsfluencers therefore do not introduce this logic from scratch, but their rise suggests that such practices may become even more widespread and intensified.

Unpredictable tomorrows

Hurcombe in his article, also stresses the importance of the platforms that play a big role when it comes to monetizing newsfluencer content. Especially, the subscription-based platforms come to further reshape the business models and work practices of these content creators.

Reliance on subscription-based platforms as a source of revenue by no means offers security. These can be as capricious as they may be lucrative. Paying subscribers can come and go, and the amplitudes may be very unstable long term. 

This dynamic also pushes the newsfluencers to diversify their sources of income. As a result, they increasingly adopt  well-known influencer practices, such as promoting product and brand  or selling their own merchandise. . In this porcess, the business models of news outlets and influencers begin to converge and reshape one another through the work of newsfluencers. 

 Consequently, the newsfluencers are expected to meet the demands of both worlds at once, while often transforming established journalistic and influencer practices in the process.

Feeling the “real” connection

One of the biggest labour practices of “newsfluencers” is pointed out to be restless branding. If they act on their own, then they must also turn themselves into brands. “Authenticity” is the keyword here, but expressing one’s opinion can obviously conflict with the objectivity journalists traditionally tend to stress. 

However, it is exactly this authenticity that becomes an important point in establishing relations with the audiences they depend on. Being “real” and feeling the true connection without the corporate filter is a big selling point of “newsfluencers” and works to build the fundamental logic of profiting from this work, states Hurcombe in his article. 

Fans and interactivity

Hurcombe further introduces two key aspects to “newsfluencer” culture. These are fandoms and parasocial relationships. First are considered to be very active and engaged audiences, often seeming to be a stumbling block for traditional media outlets. As it is pointed out, audience engagement is also one way journalistic output has come to be measured, and hyper productivity is promoted. Fandoms often appearing in influencer culture represent potent means of achieving this purpose, and “newsfluencers” are not turning a blind eye.

However, no matter how much the two-way nature of relationships between fans and “newsfluencers” is stressed, asymmetry will not allow these to be fully effective. There is one person behind the camera presenting their self-branding persona and numerous people watching. Engagement with each and single one on a level to reach some semblance of symmetry doesn’t seem possible. However, the notions of mutuality and response sets “newsfluencers” apart from traditional news outlets and allow for them to garner support even outside of the news-related content. 

New Questions for Journalism Studies 

As newsfluencers expand their reach, their influence can no longer be ignored, not only by traditional news organisations, but also by governments, Hurcombe argues. The appeal to freedom of expression that often accompanies their work can align well with the interests of both, making newsfluencers a relevant actor in today’s media ecosystem. For journalism studies, especially in its digitally oriented branches, overlooking these developments is no longer an option.

The boundaries are increasingly blurred, the author of the article argues. By conceptualising “newsfluencers” along several key dimensions, he highlights not only changing forms of news content but also the shifts in ethical and professional norms these actors bring with them. 

Likewise, newsfluencers open up a wide field for further research into business practices, monetisation strategies, audience evaluation, and, more broadly, the economics of the media.  Altogether, the introduction of the concept of “newsfluencers” promises to open a way to exciting scientific insights into the changing media landscape.