For better or for worse, younger people are flocking to social media to get their news.
That’s according to recent data from the Pew Research Center, which found that 37% of Americans ages 18 to 29 learn what’s happening around them through “news influencers” — defined as those with over 100,000 followers who regularly talk about news online. Additional research reveals that younger users are more likely than older users to see breaking news as it’s happening across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.
The Pew report also found that a clear majority (63%) of news influencers are men. To bring awareness to the 30% of women who are in the news influencer space, we’ve compiled a list of online voices — both female and nonbinary — which include individuals who lean far left and right, or who objectively report, along with those who have become voices for major humanitarian movements. Some have a journalism background, while others simply have a microphone and an opinion — but either way, they have drawn the attention of tens of thousands of intrigued viewers online.
Strictly Objective
Lisa Remillard. (Photo Courtesy of Lisa Remillard)
Lisa Remillard aka “The News Girl”
Ever since she was 4 years old, Remillard knew she wanted to be a journalist. That childhood dream fueled the start of a journalism career that now spans over two decades. After leaving local news in 2018, Remillard co-founded a media company called Beond TV, and shortly after, decided to post herself reporting current events on TikTok, where she now gained more than 3 million followers. Calling herself “The News Girl,” Remillard says her content includes unbiased reporting with straight facts, which she emphasizes is how news should be.
Kristen Welker. (Credit: Edward M. Kennedy Institute)
Kristen Welker
As a journalist and correspondent for NBC News, Welker’s career includes several wins. A major one occurred in 2023, when she became the first Black person to moderate NBC’s “Meet the Press” in the show’s 76-year history. She also received praise from social media and news outlets for how she maintained order during the second 2020 debate between President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump. On her Instagram, the “Philly girl” often posts clips of interviews she conducted with Trump, Senator Bernie Sanders and other political figures to her 108,000 followers.
The women behind What You Missed Today News. (Credit: What You Missed Today News Official TikTok Page)
The Women of “What You Missed Today News”
There is so much news happening around the world, which makes it easy for people to miss it. That’s where “WYMT News” comes in. The TikTok page, which has over 450,000 followers, includes a daily recap of international news stories in a one-minute timespan. While people who share news on social media often talk in their videos, the two women behind the page are completely silent, with their videos having them point to text and pictures covering the news.
(Credit: jordanismylawyer.com)
@jordanismylawyer
Jordan Berman is a licensed attorney who shares news and law “in an impartial, fact-based manner,” according to her YouTube channel. Her TikTok videos often start off with a rundown of things viewers should know, which range from breaking news topics like Biden pardoning his son, Hunter Biden, to explainers about Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris’ differing tax policies. Aside from running her TikTok account, which has more than 396,000 followers, she has a podcast titled “Unbiased.”
Left and Right-Leaning Voices
Joy Ann Reid. (Credit: https://joyannreid.com/)
Joy-Ann Reid
Reid has made a mark in the world of broadcast journalism, witnessed throughout her career as an opinion columnist leading up to her current endeavor as host of MSNBC’s “The Reid Out.” On the program, the political commentator frequently calls out Republicans, including Trump — as seen with her recent remark that “Trump is casting his administration like a reality-TV show.” With more than 933,000 Instagram followers and over 11 million likes from her posts on TikTok, Reid is undoubtedly one of the top women in the news sphere.
Laura Ingraham. (Credit: lauraingraham.com)
Laura Ingraham
As a Fox News host, Ingraham is a popular and controversial voice among conservative women. Some of her questionable behavior includes defending a group of “prominent voices censored on social media” in 2019, which included Paul Nehlen, a known white supremacist who has spewed antisemitism and racist rhetoric — among other things. With the help of her outlandish comments, Ingraham has garnered more than 250,000 Instagram followers and 5 million followers on X.
Stephanie. (Credit: @stephaniesuniverse Official TikTok Page)
@stephanies_universe
With the caption “Darth Vader is my biological father” in her TikTok bio, Stephanie, whose last name is not revealed, gives her take on news and politics from a left-leaning perspective. In one video with more than 1 million views, she shows a sign that reads, “If you voted for Trump, you are not welcome at my house,” while telling her fellow Democrats in the caption to “stay strong.” While it’s unclear what Stephanie’s professional background is, she has garnered a TikTok following of more than 134,000 people.
Trish Regan. (Credit: Trish Regan Official Facebook Page)
Trish Regan
Regan calls herself a “red-blooded American capitalist” who has a years-long career as a business journalist, previously working as a host for Bloomberg Television and CNBC, along with being a contributor to Fox News. In 2020, Regan launched her own independent media company and is the creator behind “The Trish Regan Show,” a podcast and talk show where she discusses news from a conservative viewpoint. Regan regularly shares clips from the show on her TikTok, which has over 195,000 followers, and posts videos to her YouTube channel, which has over 490,000 subscribers.
Emily Amack. (Credit: Emily In Your Phone Official Facebook Page)
Emily Amack
Amack is a journalist and lawyer who has an extensive background in politics, which includes previously working with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and co-authoring the book “Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives,” which details the importance of civic engagement. On her Instagram account, @EmilyinYourPhone, the political analyst posts left-leaning content about Trump, including a list of his top nominees ahead of his inauguration. Amack’s approach to engaging those online has proven successful, as proven by her 192,000 Instagram followers.
Amy Joe Clark (left) and Miriam Weaver (right). (Credit: https://chicksonright.com/)
“Chicks On The Right”
“Chicks On The Right” is a conservative — and somewhat controversial — podcast and website featuring Amy Jo Clark and Miriam Weaver, who formerly worked together as broadcasters on an Indiana radio station, according to their official YouTube channel. After Clark left radio in 2020 and Weaver shortly after, the duo launched their brand and business in 2022. It has since grown a following of 1.5 million on Facebook, over 551,000 on Instagram and 130,000 on YouTube. One of their most popular episodes includes “Donald Trump And Andrew Are A Phenomenal (And Super Funny!) Duo,” which has over 15,000 views on YouTube.
Research, Explainers, and Expert Insight
Kyla Scanlon. (Credit: Kyla Scanlon Official TikTok page)
Kyla Scanlon
Known as a content-creator and educator, Scanlon graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2019 and started her career as an associate at the financial services company Capital Group. She regularly provides news updates and explainers on everything related to the economy, including bitcoin, the labor market and mortgage rates. Scanlon even adds humor to her content, as seen in one video of her reenacting a Federal Reserve meeting with its chair, Jerome Powell. Another video shows her fact-checking Trump’s inaccurate statements on the Federal Reserve’s power.
Alaina Wood. (Credit: thegarbagequeen.com)
Alaina Wood
Followers interested in helping save the planet turn to Wood — over 380,000 of them in all on TikTok, to be exact. In addition to being the founder of the climate education and activism platform Garbage Queen, Wood is also a sustainability scientist, climate communicator and eco-anxiety researcher. On her social media channels, she regularly posts climate-related news, including her “Good Climate News” series, which includes a TikTok video on women who successfully fought companies damaging their communities. For those who want good news on climate, as Wood says in one of her videos: “You ask and you shall receive.”
V. Spehar. *Credit: https://underthedesknews.com/)
V. Spehar, “Under the Desk News”
Spehar, who is nonbinary, is an internet personality and creator of “Under the Desk News,” in which Spehar breaks down the latest current events and how viewers are impacted. Some recent stories include an explanation of Trump potentially pulling the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement, along with a mini-series diving into the life of Luigi Mangione, the murder suspect accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Spehar’s content has garnered a large number of fans online, including over 560,000 followers on Instagram and 3.2 million followers on TikTok.
Areva Martin. (Credit: arevamartin.com)
Areva Martin
Calling herself America’s advocate for the voiceless, Martin is a civil rights attorney, political writer and CNN contributor. During this election season, Martin hosted her podcast, “Areva Martin in Real Time,” a news talk show that provides analysis on major headline news. Her reporting also focuses on topics pertaining to people of color, such as reparations. On her Instagram, which has 811,000 followers, she regularly shares clips of herself appearing on news segments as a legal expert.
International Conflict
Palipina. (Credit: @iampalipina Official Instagram page)
@iampalipina
As an “I Stand with Palestine” supporter, Palipina’s Instagram page provides pro-Palestinian updates in the Israel-Gaza war — mostly in text posts — to her 155,000 followers. By providing followers with news updates about what’s happening to Palestinians, she uses her platform to expose the inhumanity they face while calling out Israel for genocide — as the Associated Press recently reported that the Palestinian death toll now tops 45,000 people.
Elizabeth Savetsky. (Credit: https://lizzysavetsky.com/)
Elizabeth Savetsky
According to her Instagram bio, Savetsky is “a proud Jewish woman on a mission.” The pro-Israeli activist regularly posts news about antisemitism on college campuses, along with other news about the Jewish community — including the Israel-Hamas war — to her 394,000 followers. In a recent post, Savetsky shared a video of herself outside the New York University library where pro-Palestinian protesters, whom she referred to as pro-terror, anti-American and anti-Western, barricaded the entrance. In October, Savetsky was listed in The Jerusalem Post’s “25 ViZionaries” list.
Celebrity News and Entertainment
Grace Ajo. (Credit: Empressive Channel YouTube)
The Empressive Channel
When it comes to urban hip-hop and Black celebrity news, “The Empressive Channel” has it covered. While the woman behind the YouTube channel — which has over 1 million subscribers – does not show her face, she is believed to be Grace Ajo, who reportedly started the channel in 2014 by discussing her natural hair journey, per Intellifluence. Aside from sharing celebrity gossip, Empressive creates music documentaries including “The SAD Stories about Black Disney Girls,” which has over 3.5 million views.
@jusnene. (Credit: @jusnene Official TikTok Page)
@Jusnene
For those who like receiving their news in a raw, funny and unfiltered way, @jusnene’s TikTok page is just for you. While the content creator keeps her real name a secret, her popularity is evident in her “like” count, which totals over 13.1 million. Jusnene’s videos, which feature both humorous and serious commentary, touch on celebrity news, current events, politics and even world news. Some popular videos that have gained traction include her reaction to the killing of Mexican YouTuber Miguel “El Jasper” Vivanco in November, and a Pennsylvania Halloween parade depicting Vice President Harris walking in chains.
