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Editor’s note: This post is part of News From Creatorland, a column where journalist and entrepreneur Fernando Hurtado shares learnings and observations from the frontlines of creator journalism.
In 2024, Marlon A. Walker, the managing editor of local for The Marshall Project, wrote his Nieman Lab prediction for what 2025 would bring to journalism. “News organizations will increasingly rely on digital creators not just as amplifiers but as integral partners in storytelling,” he predicted.
Walker reasoned that as younger viewers get more of their news from social media — and from influencers, specifically — legacy news entities will benefit from partnering with these creators.
As if on cue, it’s July 2025, and Walker’s prediction is a reality.
I was scrolling through Instagram a few weeks ago when I saw NBC Los Angeles did a series of collaboration posts (meaning they were co-posted) with L.A. in a Minute, a social media account that covers the history, culture and legacy of L.A. and sometimes even current events. The posts were video reports hosted by L.A. in a Minute creator Evan Lovett and NBCLA morning news anchor Lynette Romero. One of the videos was about L.A.’s history as a mafia town.
I liked the video for a few reasons:
It was well produced. It had a strong opening line that made me stop scrolling. Romero’s presence is explained right away: Lovett says at the beginning of the video that this is “a special report with NBC4.” Lovett and Romero volley nicely back and forth,