Influencers battle journalists for space and access at Democratic convention

Scores of social media influencers are fighting journalists for access, prestige and workspace at a national convention this week where the Democratic Party is counting on the influencers' viral online videos to boost Kamala Harris' US presidential hopes.

The Democratic National Convention credentialed more than 200 "content creators" for this week's four-day celebration of Harris at the United Center arena, home to Chicago's basketball and hockey teams.

It's a first-ever Democratic convention embrace of the power of YouTube, TikTok and Instagram users who reach tens of millions of Americans directly, many of them younger voters who don't read or watch traditional news.

"We're giving creators a front-row seat to history," said Matt Hill, senior director of communications for the convention.

The media and information landscape has changed considerably since 2016, with the surge of social media platforms like TikTok, a convention official said in support of the decision.

As of 2023, 83% of US adults use YouTube, 68% use Facebook, 47% use Instagram, and 33% use TikTok, according to Pew Research Center. Half of all US adults get news often or sometimes from social media, Pew found.

Unlike the thousands of journalists with newspapers, news websites and TV and radio networks, influencers receive DNC assistance connecting with Democratic leaders.

Influencers have access to a creator lounge in the United Center and a creator platform section on the convention floor where they can create video content.

The besieged journalism industry, which has lost tens of thousands of jobs from cost-cutting and consolidation over more than a decade, had its space at the convention slashed compared to previous conventions, according to another Pew study.

"These are the worst working conditions of the 20 conventions I have covered," said Jonathan D. Salant, assistant managing editor of politics at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"We are restricted from going anywhere near the TV booths to interview people. And the seats/workspace they set aside are so high up that they are unsafe," Andrew Feinberg, a White House correspondent for The Independent, posted on X.

Qondi Ntini, an influencer who founded the Thirst for Democracy Fund in support of Harris, posted a series of photos and videos for her 47,400 followers on X and nearly 14,000 on TikTok.

Her postings on X show her at the convention, laughing with Senator Raphael Warnock from Georgia, posing with an aide to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and writing about the star-studded list of speakers at Monday night's session.

"No one's replacing anybody," said Harris campaign digital strategist Rob Flaherty, regarding traditional media and content creators at a Politico event. "But here's the thing, like voters consume information from more places than ever.... We certainly don't expect any of those creators who are here to be propagandists for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz," the Minnesota governor and Harris' vice presidential running mate.

DIFFERENT EDITING AND PUBLISHING PROCESSES

Influencers and journalists have different editing and publishing processes and different mandates.

While traditional news organizations view themselves as neutral disseminators of current events, with editors and fact-checking standards, content creators have a point of view and typically rely on themselves for any checks and balances.

"I am heavily partisan," said Josh Helfgott, an influencer who makes content around LGBTQ+ issues and is supportive of Vice President Harris' bid for president. "There's no question that the creators here that are invited are supportive of Kamala, mostly, at least all the ones I've met."

When it comes to the information he puts out to his 5.5 million followers on TikTok (or about half the circulation of the New York Times), Helfgott says: "I'm the editor, I'm the writer, I'm the storyteller, I'm the PR guy," he said.

Traditional news outlets have been accused of bias through history, and have been particularly vilified by conservatives in recent years, with Republican candidate Donald Trump calling them "the enemy of the people" and "fake news."

Many left-leaning Americans, meanwhile, say mainstream news coverage of Harris in particular is sexist and unbalanced.

But Fabian Fellmann, US correspondent for Tages-Anzeiger, a daily newspaper in Switzerland, and for Süddeutsche Zeitung, a daily newspaper in Germany, like many in the industry, does not believe content creation to be a fair replacement.

"They get views on their platforms," he said, speaking to Reuters next to the creator platform on the United Center's convention floor. "They get clicks. They get advertisement revenue. We're journalists. We get a salary that is independent from what we write."

"I guess that's the new reality," he added.

Influencers' viral videos on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok can help raise enthusiasm among voters who might not be as invested in politics, said Daniel Kreiss, professor of political communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

They can also help with a campaign's appeal to younger voters, he said.

"So many people are getting their information from social media, I'm a part of a big network of creators who are doing a good job of informing everyone, regardless of political views, right?" said Carlos Eduardo Espina, whose Spanish videos for the Latino immigrant community have drawn 10.2 million followers on TikTok.

The Democrats, particularly the Harris campaign, have already leaned into virality this election cycle.

British pop sensation Charli XCX gave the vice president the moniker "brat," same as the title of her latest album, and the compliment took off, with the Harris campaign adopting the album's lime green esthetic for her "Kamala HQ" X account.

Eve, an influencer at the convention who did not provide her last name, citing safety concerns, said she and her co-creator Pari's coverage this week will include explaining the Democratic Party's agenda as it applies to reproductive rights.

She wore a hat with a camouflage pattern that read, "Harris, Walz." She said she received the hat at a DNC event earlier in the day for creators.

"We especially reach young people," Eve said. "My hope is, yes, we will have a big effect" in November's election.