Podcast: News Influencers’ Role In Shaping Public Opinion

Journalist Aaron Parnas and Avoq’s Jaclyn Rothenberg discuss the rise of news influencers and  how communicators can best engage with them.

As consumers increasingly turn to platforms like TikTok for news, a new breed of digital journalists, dubbed news influencers, are emerging as important sources of information, particularly for younger audiences. In this PRovoke Podcast, Aaron Parnas, a lawyer-turned-news influencer with an immense following, and Jaclyn Rothenberg, an Avoq senior VP, discuss who qualifies as a news influencer, the role they play in disseminating information and the hesitancy communicators and companies have in fully embracing them. The conversation also addresses the question of these journalists’ credibility, exploring why organizations hesitate to engage them and what it takes to prove they are legitimate outlets — in the same way journalists tied to traditional platforms are.