In this report, Polis/Yle Newsroom Fellow Salla-Rosa Leinonen explores the opportunities of what ‘influencer’ style journalism can bring to the newsroom. The report examines if it’s possible for journalists and news organisations to learn lessons from ‘influencers’ about how to engage with the public in personal, direct ways to gain credibility with ‘hard to reach’ audiences.

The views in this paper reflect those of the author and are not necessarily those of Yle, Polis, or LSE.

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Social media ‘influencers’ have a growing significance in our mediated lives. ‘Influencers’ can have huge followings that are loyal, devoted and attentive. Generally, people follow the kind of ‘influencers’ who reflect and reinforce their own values and beliefs. Social media is animated by emotions and ‘influencers’ have the ability to make you feel like you belong.

Traditional news and current affairs content, generally, does not make you feel connected or impart a sense of belonging in the same direct, personal way. For much of the news media this would be seen as potentially compromising the impartiality and professionalism of journalism.

But is it possible for journalists and news organisations to learn lessons from ‘influencers’ about how to engage with the public, without losing their independence and authority? And in what ways could they gain credibility with ‘hard to reach’ audiences by adopting strategies inspired by ‘influencers’?

This paper explores the opportunities of what ‘influencer’ style journalism could bring to your newsroom. It also defines what is a ‘journo-influencer’, how to recognise them and what kind of challenges we face in journalism when working like ‘influencers’.

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