How Are Creator Journalists Reaching Audiences Traditional Media Miss?
Liz Kelly Nelson, a longtime newsroom leader, spent years shaping digital strategy at outlets including USA Today, Gannett, and AOL. But while serving as a vice president at Vox, she noticed a shift: Some of the organization’s most talented journalists were leaving to build independent careers on platforms like YouTube, Substack, and TikTok.
Nelson found common factors in their choice to leave — a desire for greater editorial control and diversified financial opportunities in an increasingly uncertain industry. Intrigued by what she saw as a broader transformation in how journalism is created and consumed, Nelson left Vox in 2023 to study these trends during a Sulzberger Fellowship at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.
She then founded Project C in 2024, a community and research hub supporting journalists navigating the creator economy, and co-founded The Independent Journalism Atlas in 2026 with Justin Bank and Ryan Kellett, a 2025 Nieman Fellow, to map the growing ecosystem of independent reporters.
While speaking with the 2026 class of Nieman Fellows, Nelson discussed why media consumers — especially younger ones — are turning to independent voices, how creator journalists are building sustainable careers, and what their rise means for the future of the news ecosystem.
Edited excerpts:
“There is not one creator that’s losing sleep wondering, “Is The Washington Post or The New York Times taking my audience?” Because that’s not happening, but the reverse is.”
— Liz Kelly Nelson, founder of Project C and co-founder of The Independent Journalism Atlas
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