Guide

How to find — and fund — creator journalists in your community

Introducing the Creator Journalism Trust and Credibility Toolkit, a guide for funders from The Lenfest Institute’s Knight Communities Network, Project C, and Trusting News

October 28, 2025

As funders look to strengthen their local information ecosystems, creator journalists have become an essential component, serving and reaching audiences that traditional news outlets often miss. 

But just as it’s becoming increasingly challenging for the public to decipher what, and who, is credible online, it can also be challenging for funders to identify which online creators are looking to inform their communities with accurate information and which are creating or amplifying hidden agendas or even dis- and misinformation. 

While there are many credible creator journalists worth financially backing and partnering with, there are also plenty of online personalities whose goals and coverage will be misaligned with your organization’s priorities and mission. The challenge lies in identifying creators working to inform their communities responsibly.  

This new Creator Journalism Trust and Credibility Toolkit for funders from The Lenfest Institute’s Knight Communities Network, Project C, and Trusting News is designed to help. It provides ethical frameworks and hands-on tools you can use to not only identify local creator journalists but also assess whether a creator journalist is a good fit for funding and partnership opportunities.   

Who are creator journalists?

Creator journalists are part of a larger group of informers seeing a surge in popularity: One-in-five Americans say they regularly get news from influencers online, and that number increases with younger generations. But creator journalists shouldn’t be confused with “news influencers” who operate outside the core tenets of ethical journalism outlined below.  

So, what exactly is a creator journalist? They are individuals who combine elements of journalism with content creation techniques to produce news on digital platforms. Unlike traditional journalists, they often operate independently or as part of alternative media outlets and use platforms like social media, podcasts, and newsletters to share their work.   

Also unlike traditional journalism, creator journalists sometimes share information through their point of view – and the public responds to their personality and authenticity. They often feel like a trusted friend or guide, giving people a comfortable place to turn to make sense of the news. And sometimes their lens on the world fills a crucial void, giving people who are often left out of traditional news a relatable voice to turn to. As long as the journalists are clear on where they’re coming from — and as long as they don’t conflate facts with opinion or try to claim neutrality — then their style does not diminish their credibility. 

Challenge: Identifying credible creator journalists 

Without the automatic credibility that comes with being backed by an established institution, investing in creator journalists may feel like a bit of a gamble. 

How will you know their work is fact-based and accurate? How can you determine if there are blurred lines between credible reporting and personal opinion? How can you spot what’s authentic versus advertiser-driven content?  

We know the lack of a shared set of ethical standards for creator journalists is a concern across the industry. In a Project C and Trusting News survey last year, 88% of journalists agreed there should be a shared standard against which we measure responsible, fact-based, independent creator journalists. 

Without these standards, how can you ensure creator journalists are sharing information responsibly? We created two resources to help. 

1. A visual ethical framework that employs a green/yellow/red framework to help you quickly assess trust and credibility. 

2. An evaluation checklist to assess credibility and ethical alignment. The checklist walks you through signs of credibility to look for, why they’re important and how to identify them.   

What ethical standards build trust? 

The ethical guidelines included in the Trust & Credibility ToolKit are based on the core tenets of ethical journalism as established by the Society of Professional Journalists but focus on how those ethics often appear in independent creator journalists’ work. 

These basic principles reflect not only foundational pillars of journalistic ethics, but also are values the public has identified as most important when deciding which news feels trustworthy. 

1. Trustworthy and fair: Are journalists getting clear about sourcing, personal viewpoints and how they work to be fair? 

2. Accountable and transparent: Are journalists accountable to their audience with how they are funded, their editorial independence and the goals that drive their coverage? 

3. Community-focused: Are journalists prioritizing relationships and ensuring their coverage is meeting their community’s information needs?  

These are core principles of journalism worth considering when funding any journalism venture, whether a creator journalist or not. As more and more people turn to independent voices, it is vital to invest in bolstering creators who prioritize serving their communities with accurate, responsible and ethical information. 

Ready to get started? Access the full Toolkit.  

The Creator Journalism Trust & Credibility Toolkit will help you through the process of finding – and funding – creator journalists in your local ecosystem. 

It includes: 

• Guide for finding creator journalists in your local ecosystem,   
• Visual ethical framework to gauge if a creator is aligned with your organization’s mission
• A checklist to help assess the credibility and ethical standards of creator journalists 
• Templates for outreach and agreements to ensure clear expectations between funders and creators 

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This resource is part of the Creator Journalism Trust and Credibility Toolkit from the Knight Communities Network, Project C, and Trusting News, which helps funders identify — and fund — creator journalists in their local ecosystem. Find more information here, or reach out to Project C and Trusting News.