Influencers could learn a thing or two from traditional journalism about disclosing who’s funding their political coverage

By: Edward Wasserman, University of California, Berkeley

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: October 24, 2025

Words: 1,290

Last Updated: 1 month ago

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By Edward Wasserman, University of California, Berkeley

Online influencers, through their postings on Instagram, Threads, TikTok and elsewhere, have created an exuberant universe of news and commentary that often outruns mainstream media in reach and even impact. They work the same waterfront as journalism and public relations, but their relationship with those mainstay practices built around fact and advocacy is an uneasy one.

And when it comes to the rules that are supposed to keep …

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