Building Creator Relationships That Last: Strategies for Newsrooms

Newsrooms can retain creator talent by treating social media production as a long-term editorial investment rather than a short-term content strategy, according to Dave Jorgenson and Lauren Saks at the 2026 World News Media Congress in Marseille. The approach requires mutual respect between editorial standards and creator audience instincts to prevent talent attrition, as discussed during a session moderated by Pierre Caulliez, lead of the News Creator Exchange (NCX) programme.

Jorgenson, who previously developed the TikTok presence for The Washington Post before launching an independent venture, stated that the foundational dynamic for successful partnerships involves understanding the distinct roles of the creator and the newsroom. He noted that conflict often arises when newsrooms override a creator’s instincts regarding their audience, or when creators resist established verification and editorial standards.

To resolve these tensions, Jorgenson argued for a system of mutual respect where newsrooms acknowledge the creator’s knowledge of the audience and creators acknowledge the necessity of thorough fact-checking.

The discussion occurred during the June 2026 congress, where Caulliez, a Gen Z media consultant, probed Jorgenson and Saks for insights into collaboration between creators and traditional newsrooms. Saks, a partner at Local News International and former lead of audience and video strategy at PBS, highlighted the structural challenges of developing in-house talent.

Why do newsrooms struggle with creator authenticity?

Many newsrooms treat on-camera social media work as a duty to be assigned to staff rather than a disposition to be identified, according to Jorgenson. He stated that viewers can typically detect within the first few seconds if a reporter is excited to make a video or was simply told they had to do it.

Jorgenson noted that viewers are likely to swipe away quickly if they perceive discomfort from the presenter. He suggested that newsrooms should instead seek out and develop willing contenders and maintain transparency about the nature of the partnership.

How does the production timeline affect audience growth?

Building an audience is a slow growth process that requires patience across all levels of a news organization, Saks stated. She pointed to Jorgenson’s work, noting he had been developing his approach since 2019 to achieve his results.

The pressure of deadlines often leads editors to rush production, but Jorgenson argued that creator-led content is not a lightweight or low-cost format. He stated that such content requires a genuine production chain and that cutting corners during the editing stage often undermines the entire project.

Patience is required not only for audience development but also for the development of an on-camera style and the recognition of the value of high-quality editing, according to Jorgenson.

What makes creator-publisher partnerships successful?

A paid partnership between Local News International and the nonpartisan policy explainer Free the Facts serves as a model for mutually beneficial collaboration, according to Jorgenson. He revealed that one of the videos from this partnership became the most successful video the organization had ever produced.

Jorgenson attributed this success to transparency and the natural integration of the collaboration into the storytelling. The videos explicitly identified the partner and included their logo to ensure the audience understood the partnership was occurring.

He stated that audiences can read intent, and partnerships that expand the scope of what a creator covers have a greater impact than those that appear to be primarily financially motivated.

How can newsrooms improve talent retention?

Effective retention depends on combining clear editorial briefings with genuine creative latitude, Jorgenson suggested. He described an ideal workflow as one involving a briefing on a topic followed by enough back-and-forth communication that all parties are satisfied with the final video.

Jorgenson concluded that newsrooms most likely to retain talent are those that treat creator roles as a long-term editorial investment. This requires an institutional commitment that extends beyond the support of individual managers or sympathetic editors and provides the same structural support afforded to other forms of serious journalism.

Respect from the newsroom that you know your audience and you know what they’re going to like, and respect from the creator that this newsroom is going to make sure this is thoroughly fact-checked.
Dave Jorgenson