{"id":10722,"date":"2026-04-13T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnti.org\/cnti-news\/\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T08:59:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T12:59:59","slug":"professional-backgrounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnti.org\/reports\/understanding-us-indie-info-providers\/professional-backgrounds\/","title":{"rendered":"Navigating instability in the journalism industry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From the public\u2019s perspective, indie info providers may seem like a cohesive category. But indie info providers don\u2019t necessarily have a shared professional identity, and broad networks of indie info providers are not yet well established.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-gridible-grid-container gridible-row gridible-row--flex gridible-row__all-start gridible-row__md-start gridible-row__lg-start gridible-row__all-reverse-column gridible-row__md-standard gridible-row__lg-standard gridible-row__sm-start gridible-row__sm-reverse-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-gridible-grid-column gridible-col gridible-col__12 gridible-col__md-6 gridible-col__lg-6 gridible-col__sm-12\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To begin to understand this disparate group, CNTI worked closely with <a href=\"https:\/\/projectc.biz\/\">Project C<\/a>, one of the first and largest networks of indie info providers, to recruit interviewees for this report. Project C interfaces with a tight network on Slack and reaches a broader set of indie info providers through their newsletter. Currently, their network largely consists of former journalists, who may not be representative of the range of indie info providers and their professional backgrounds. We prioritized recruiting people from non-journalism backgrounds, and we were able to interview science communicators, subject-matter experts and civic-minded community members without journalism experience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-gridible-grid-column gridible-col gridible-col__12 gridible-col__md-6 gridible-col__lg-6 gridible-col__sm-12\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-9-16 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Understanding US Indie Info Providers: Professional Backgrounds\" width=\"422\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/E7wRCIjj-wk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-gridible-responsive-spacer\" style=\"height:26px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-shade-4-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<details class=\"wp-block-mbm-innerblock-accordion is-layout-flow wp-block-mbm-innerblock-accordion-is-layout-flow\">\n<summary class=\"wp-block-mbm-innerblock-accordion-title\">\n<h4 id=\"h-why-and-how-we-did-this\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-aktiv-grotesk-condensed-font-family has-echo-font-size\" style=\"margin-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);margin-bottom:0px;line-height:1.25\">Why and how we did this<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-outermost-icon-block wp-block-mbm-innerblock-accordion-title__icon--open\"><div class=\"icon-container\" style=\"width:32px;transform:rotate(0deg) scaleX(1) scaleY(1)\"><svg width=\"32\" height=\"32\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-label=\"Open accordion\"><rect width=\"32\" height=\"32\" rx=\"16\" fill=\"black\"><\/rect><path d=\"M17 10.5V15H21.5H22.5V17H21.5H17V21.5V22.5H15V21.5V17H10.5H9.5V15H10.5H15V10.5V9.5H17V10.5Z\" fill=\"#F9F6F2\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-outermost-icon-block wp-block-mbm-innerblock-accordion-title__icon--closed\"><div class=\"icon-container\" style=\"width:32px;transform:rotate(0deg) scaleX(1) scaleY(1)\"><svg width=\"32\" height=\"32\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-label=\"Close accordion\"><rect width=\"32\" height=\"32\" rx=\"16\" fill=\"black\"><\/rect><path d=\"M22.5 17H21.5H10.5H9.5V15H10.5H21.5H22.5V17Z\" fill=\"#F9F6F2\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div><\/div>\n<\/summary>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mbm-innerblock-accordion-body\">\n<p class=\"has-aktiv-grotesk-font-family has-foxtrot-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:0px\"><strong>Note on terminology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-aktiv-grotesk-font-family has-foxtrot-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:0px\">There is no consensus on terminology, even among our interviewees. We primarily use the term &#8220;indie info provider&#8221; and sometimes &#8220;creator-journalist,&#8221; which was the term used in our survey and interviews. If anything, creator-journalists are a subset of indie info providers: they have journalism backgrounds and typically see themselves as journalists, even if they don\u2019t use the term publicly. Both terms appear throughout the report to refer to the same group: \u201c<em>people who are working to provide verified factual information with a personality- or voice-driven brand that leverages the creator economy.\u201d <\/em>That definition encompasses a tremendous amount of variation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-aktiv-grotesk-font-family has-foxtrot-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:0px\"><strong>Why we did this<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-aktiv-grotesk-font-family has-foxtrot-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:0px\">According to our <a href=\"https:\/\/cnti.org\/2024-public-survey\/news-organizations\/\">research<\/a>, about one in five people in the United States get news from individuals rather than organizations, and it\u2019s more common for younger people to get news and information this way. A glut of <a href=\"https:\/\/digiday.com\/media\/former-substack-creators-say-theyre-earning-more-on-new-platforms-that-offer-larger-shares-of-subscription-revenue\/\">new platforms<\/a> and technological tools also make it easier to run a solo or small info provider business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-aktiv-grotesk-font-family has-foxtrot-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:0px\">Featuring individual voices over institutional brands has been paying dividends in terms of both audience trust and the flexibility to try out different formats, tools and platforms. <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanreports.org\/news-influencers-content-creators-social-media-journalism\/\">Legacy media<\/a> is paying attention to this trend and newsrooms like <a href=\"https:\/\/wpcreator.washingtonpost.com\/\">The Washington Post<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/espnpressroom.com\/us\/press-releases\/2025\/08\/espn-signs-katie-feeney-as-sports-and-lifestyle-content-creator\/\">ESPN<\/a> are now partnering with indie info providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-aktiv-grotesk-font-family has-foxtrot-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:0px\">To date, <a href=\"https:\/\/reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk\/news-creators-influencers\/2025\">research<\/a> on this trend has largely focused on the broader landscape of content creators, including entertainers, politicians and other creators who do not necessarily focus on informing their audiences. And most research to date has focused on content sourcing and linking strategies. To enable a future for a plurality of fact-based sources that readers and viewers find relevant, our project sheds light on who indie info providers are, and how they approach their role in the broader news landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-aktiv-grotesk-font-family has-foxtrot-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:0px\"><strong>How we did this<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-aktiv-grotesk-font-family has-foxtrot-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:0px\">In partnership with <a href=\"https:\/\/projectc.biz\/\">Project C<\/a>, CNTI recruited 43 adults in the U.S. to take a screening survey and chose 26 for a 60- to 90-minute virtual interview. CNTI selected interviewees to represent a range of professional backgrounds. This report is based primarily on insights from the interviews, with data from the survey as a secondary source.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-aktiv-grotesk-font-family has-foxtrot-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:0px\">In keeping with Project C\u2019s focus, most interviewees were former journalists \u2014 but we prioritized interviewing people from non-journalism backgrounds, and we were able to interview science communicators, subject-matter experts and civic-minded community members without journalism experience.. Throughout this report we call out contrasting examples that suggest larger differences between former journalists and indie info providers from other backgrounds. We also spotlight examples from indie info providers outside our sample, where relevant to point to the broader diversity of backgrounds and experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-aktiv-grotesk-font-family has-foxtrot-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:0px\">In interviews, we asked participants about their backgrounds and motivations, audience engagement, their relationships with other indie info providers and legacy news outlets, platforms and algorithms, revenue and business strategies, and their view of success and satisfaction with their own work.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-aktiv-grotesk-font-family has-foxtrot-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:0px\">We developed codes using a bottom-up and iterative approach as themes emerged through the analysis. Code categories largely reflected the range of interview topics as well as the addition of the broader themes \u201cfreedom\u201d and \u201csmall business owner.\u201d These methods provide richness and depth; however, it\u2019s not possible to generalize about the frequency of behaviors from these interactions, so we limit our use of quantitative terms to our interviewees throughout this report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-aktiv-grotesk-font-family has-foxtrot-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:0px\">CNTI research and professional staff prepared this report. This project was made possible by the financial support of the Lenfest Institute and a second anonymous donor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-gridible-responsive-spacer\" style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even among this relatively small group of 26 interviewees, we observed some clear differences between those with and without significant journalism experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-gridible-responsive-spacer\" style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-most-of-the-indie-info-providers-we-interviewed-have-at-least-some-experience-in-journalism-losing-a-job-was-the-impetus-for-many-but-not-all-to-go-out-on-their-own\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-aktiv-grotesk-condensed-font-family\"><strong>Most of the indie info providers we interviewed have at least some experience in journalism. Losing a job was the impetus for many, but not all, to go out on their own<\/strong>.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Out of the 26 interviewees, 19 have worked in journalism at some point. Four of the former journalists also have management experience in journalism, and five have worked in other fields. The other ten have primarily worked as individual reporters or producers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One reason journalists become indie info providers is in response to structural instability across the journalism industry. As one person said, <em>\u201cThis industry is the Wild West. I\u2019m four [Wild West moments] in at this point \u2026 I feel like a veteran of that constant reinvention and also like I&#8217;m constantly at the beginning of my career, every time there&#8217;s a big change in how this work is made.\u201d <\/em>Another raised similar concerns: <em>\u201cI can see that the SEO agency is editing more than my actual editors. I saw this and thought, \u2018I\u2019m going to be extinct.\u2019\u201d <\/em>Most of the former journalists had been laid off at least once in their career or had pivoted away from journalism relatively early in search of stability, like one person who failed to find a full-time job after several successful internships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to layoffs pushing them out of legacy journalism, indie info providers coming from journalism backgrounds also highlighted concerns about intellectual property and creative freedom. If they built a product with a clear personal voice inside legacy journalism organizations, they said, that product belonged to someone else. As one former journalist said, <em>\u201cUnless I build the thing that I want to work for, it\u2019s not going to exist.\u201d&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For most of the former journalists, industry-wide instability was a direct reason for their indie pivot. Of the 19 former journalists we interviewed, 10 had been laid off from their most recent role, whether in journalism or outside it, and four were full-time freelancers adding a new component to their work. While freedom was a draw, it was not the primary reason for their pivot. Three other former journalists quit full-time jobs to start their indie venture and the last two launched theirs as a side project while holding down other jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the seven indie info providers with no journalism experience, all but two started their indie venture as a side project while either working a full-time job in another field or receiving retirement income. That meant they did not face the same pressure to be profitable nor the anxiety of building a career in a field that has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2024\/07\/12\/news-reporters-journalism-jobs-census\/\">contracting for twenty years<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-gridible-responsive-spacer\" style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-across-backgrounds-indie-info-providers-are-mission-driven\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-aktiv-grotesk-condensed-font-family\">Across backgrounds, <strong>indie info providers<\/strong> are mission-driven.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every single indie info provider we interviewed is doing this work because they want to inform people. (That\u2019s also built in to who we were seeking out, <em>\u201cpeople who are working to provide verified factual information.\u201d<\/em>) The sense that their work is important is one of the reasons they stick with it, even when it\u2019s difficult. Their commitment to the mission is not the only factor that led them to this work, but it is an important factor. This is true across topics and audiences, although they also expressed a sense that the stakes of informing people varied widely by topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-gridible-responsive-spacer\" style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-creators-journalists-experts-naming-the-field-is-still-in-progress\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-aktiv-grotesk-condensed-font-family\"><strong>Creators? Journalists? Experts? Naming the field is still in progress.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked if they considered themselves journalists, 20 interviewees said yes, five said \u201c<em>it\u2019s complicated<\/em>\u201d and a single person said no. These answers do not correlate with their professional backgrounds: both former journalists and non-journalists were uneasy with the title of \u201cjournalist.\u201d Even among those who do see themselves as journalists, whether they use the title or not depends on the context. For example, one interviewee describes themself as either a creator or journalist based on who they are interacting with. For this person, the \u201c<em>creator-journalist<\/em>\u201d title still does not fully cover everything they do because they also write, edit, publish and manage a business. Another interviewee feels silly comparing themselves to \u201c<em>friends who are journalists who are war correspondents<\/em>\u201d because of the lifestyle content they cover, and described themself as a \u201c<em>lowercase j journalist<\/em>\u201d or \u201c<em>magazine journalist<\/em>.\u201d (It is worth noting that there are indeed some indie war correspondents. Bisan Owda reports from Palestine on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wizard_bisan1\/?hl=en\">Instagram <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@wizardowdaa\">TikTok<\/a>. Tim Mak reports from Ukraine on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.counteroffensive.news\/\">The Counteroffensive<\/a>.) Quite a few indie info providers are hesitant to use the \u201cjournalist\u201d title outwardly because they think audiences don\u2019t trust \u2014 or like \u2014 journalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Indie info providers feel similarly about \u201c<em>creator<\/em>\u201d as a title. It\u2019s both too broad \u2014 \u201c<em>creator can mean a gajillion different things<\/em>\u201d \u2014 and too narrow in that no indie info provider spends their whole day being creative. Some people also worry about the incentives associated with the \u201c<em>creator economy<\/em>,\u201d which rewards engaging content over informative content. As a result, they distance themselves from this term: \u201c<em>The creator economy can inadvertently draw people to maybe not the best version of themselves. &#8230; If professionally you\u2019re out there trying to get personal attention, it just kind of makes you insufferable.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For some, \u201cexpert\u201d is a more comfortable label than \u201cjournalist.\u201d Indie info providers know a lot about their subject areas \u2014 whether it\u2019s a hobby, a geographic region, a professional area of expertise or a journalistic beat \u2014 and they communicate the facts clearly and well. In fact, some of them became indie info providers because legacy journalism covered their area either poorly or not at all. This is another reason the \u201cjournalist\u201d title can be uncomfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is one area of near-consensus: almost nobody likes to call themself an \u201cinfluencer.\u201d That\u2019s consistent with <a href=\"https:\/\/newscreatorcorps.org\/2026\/03\/what-to-call-content-creators\/\">other research in this area<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-gridible-responsive-spacer\" style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-the-long-held-firewall-between-the-newsroom-and-the-business-side-of-legacy-journalism-makes-going-it-alone-harder-for-former-journalists-nbsp\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-aktiv-grotesk-condensed-font-family\"><strong><strong>The long-held firewall between the newsroom and the business side of legacy journalism makes going it alone harder for former journalists<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of the people we interviewed, 10 had only ever worked inside the newsroom; the other 16 had either held management positions, worked in other fields or both. When we asked about the parts of the job they felt most \u2014 and least \u2014 prepared for, we saw clear differences between these groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, those who had only worked as a journalist in a newsroom were more likely to say they were unprepared for some of the business and operations aspects, while those with other experience mostly said their prior roles prepared them to run a business. These skills include structuring workflows and deadlines, managing budgets and finances, and overseeing sales and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-gridible-responsive-spacer\" style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"674\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cnti.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/indie-info-creators_experience-chart-1-674x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11033\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cnti.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/indie-info-creators_experience-chart-1-674x1024.png 674w, https:\/\/cnti.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/indie-info-creators_experience-chart-1-197x300.png 197w, https:\/\/cnti.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/indie-info-creators_experience-chart-1-768x1167.png 768w, https:\/\/cnti.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/indie-info-creators_experience-chart-1.png 893w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 674px) 100vw, 674px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-gridible-responsive-spacer\" style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-gridible-responsive-spacer\" style=\"height:17px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is worth pointing out that the challenges faced by indie info providers aren\u2019t specific to journalism. Many who move from holding a specific position inside a larger organization to doing their own independent work <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/major-challenges-survey\/\">run into similar issues<\/a> with steep learning curves around operations, finances and business development. But the firewall between editorial and financial functions in legacy news organizations \u2014 put in place to preserve journalistic independence from commercial influence \u2014 may make the learning curves even steeper when journalists take an entrepreneurial path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, where former journalists feel more prepared than those coming from other industries is in communication and reporting tasks, though the differences are not as stark. Many of the interviewees with non-journalism backgrounds still felt prepared to take on these tasks \u2014 or did not mention them at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-gridible-responsive-spacer\" style=\"height:17px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"893\" height=\"665\" src=\"https:\/\/cnti.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/indie-info-creators_experience-chart-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11034\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cnti.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/indie-info-creators_experience-chart-2.png 893w, https:\/\/cnti.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/indie-info-creators_experience-chart-2-300x223.png 300w, https:\/\/cnti.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/indie-info-creators_experience-chart-2-768x572.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 893px) 100vw, 893px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-gridible-responsive-spacer\" style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"h-continue-reading\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-aktiv-grotesk-condensed-font-family\">Continue Reading<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/cnti.org\/reports\/understanding-us-indie-info-providers\/professional-development\/\">Professional Development<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/cnti.org\/reports\/understanding-us-indie-info-providers\/credibility\/\">Credibility<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/cnti.org\/reports\/understanding-us-indie-info-providers\/distribution-platforms\/\">Distribution Platforms<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-gridible-responsive-spacer\" style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/cnti.org\/reports\/understanding-us-indie-info-providers\/making-money\/\">Making Money<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/cnti.org\/reports\/understanding-us-indie-info-providers\/going-solo\/\">Going Solo<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/cnti.org\/reports\/understanding-us-indie-info-providers\/about-this-study\/\">About This Study<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-gridible-responsive-spacer\" style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\">Participating Creators<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLP-1Z12I4zMybXcTPPpkPXiXTFRZ-3AnY\">Creator Videos<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-primary-2-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/cnti.org\/reports\/south-africa-indie-info-providers\/\">Companion Report: South Africa<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indie info providers are navigating instability in the journalism industry. There is no single pathway to become an indie info provider or even consensus on how they refer to themselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":10715,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-image","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mbm_post_meta_color_slug":[],"_mbm_featured_category_id":"76","inline_featured_image":false,"_mbmamp_team_author_id":[7825,7891,7905],"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"cnti-focus-area":[],"cnti-topic":[],"class_list":["post-10722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reports"],"acf":{"cnti_article_quick_read_link_file":{"simple_value_formatted":"","value_formatted":"","value":"","field":{"ID":0,"key":"field_6609f4b7a6240","label":"Quick Read","name":"cnti_article_quick_read_link_file","aria-label":"","prefix":"acf","type":"file","value":null,"menu_order":0,"instructions":"","required":0,"id":"","class":"","conditional_logic":0,"parent":"group_6609f4b72d6a1","wrapper":{"width":"","class":"","id":""},"return_format":"array","library":"all","min_size":"","max_size":"","mime_types":"","allow_in_bindings":1,"_name":"cnti_article_quick_read_link_file","_valid":1}},"cnti_article_full_report_file":{"simple_value_formatted":"<a href=\"https:\/\/cnti.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/US-Indie-Info-Providers_CNTI-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">US-Indie-Info-Providers_CNTI-1<\/a>","value_formatted":{"ID":11037,"id":11037,"url":"https:\/\/cnti.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/US-Indie-Info-Providers_CNTI-1.pdf","title":"US-Indie-Info-Providers_CNTI-1","alt":"","description":"","caption":"","mime_type":"application\/pdf","type":"application","subtype":"pdf","icon":"https:\/\/cnti.org\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/document.png"},"value":"11037","field":{"ID":0,"key":"field_6609f53ba6241","label":"Full Report","name":"cnti_article_full_report_file","aria-label":"","prefix":"acf","type":"file","value":null,"menu_order":1,"instructions":"","required":0,"id":"","class":"","conditional_logic":0,"parent":"group_6609f4b72d6a1","wrapper":{"width":"","class":"","id":""},"return_format":"array","library":"all","min_size":"","max_size":"","mime_types":"","_name":"cnti_article_full_report_file","_valid":1}},"cnti_article_parallel_study_sneak_peek_file":{"simple_value_formatted":"<a href=\"https:\/\/cnti.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Coming-Soon-SA-Indie-Info-Providers-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Coming Soon - SA Indie Info Providers<\/a>","value_formatted":{"ID":11255,"id":11255,"url":"https:\/\/cnti.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Coming-Soon-SA-Indie-Info-Providers-1.pdf","title":"Coming Soon - SA Indie Info Providers","alt":"","description":"","caption":"","mime_type":"application\/pdf","type":"application","subtype":"pdf","icon":"https:\/\/cnti.org\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/document.png"},"value":"11255","field":{"ID":0,"key":"field_69dce511d7a57","label":"Parallel Study: Sneak Peek","name":"cnti_article_parallel_study_sneak_peek_file","aria-label":"","prefix":"acf","type":"file","value":null,"menu_order":2,"instructions":"","required":0,"id":"","class":"","conditional_logic":0,"parent":"group_6609f4b72d6a1","wrapper":{"width":"","class":"","id":""},"return_format":"array","library":"all","min_size":"","max_size":"","mime_types":"","allow_in_bindings":1,"_name":"cnti_article_parallel_study_sneak_peek_file","_valid":1}},"post_audio_embed":{"simple_value_formatted":"","value_formatted":"","value":"","field":{"ID":0,"key":"field_68e438d2c1796","label":"Add audio embed iFrame","name":"post_audio_embed","aria-label":"","prefix":"acf","type":"text","value":null,"menu_order":0,"instructions":"","required":0,"id":"","class":"","conditional_logic":0,"parent":"group_68e438d1a3701","wrapper":{"width":"","class":"","id":""},"default_value":"","maxlength":"","allow_in_bindings":0,"placeholder":"","prepend":"","append":"","_name":"post_audio_embed","_valid":1}},"post_guest_author":{"simple_value_formatted":"<code><em>This data type is not supported! 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Interviewees have similar financial challenges to both legacy journalism and other new small businesses."},{"field_68e7ddda4abb7":{"title":"Going Solo","url":"https:\/\/cnti.org\/reports\/understanding-us-indie-info-providers\/going-solo\/","target":""},"field_68e7ddc84abb6":"Indie info providers are finding this work fulfilling but difficult. 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