Why Your Next News Gadget Should Be a Creator, Not a Camera

You'd think the best gadget for news is the one with the biggest screen or the fastest processor. But after a year of testing gear alongside our reporting, we've flipped our thinking. The real game-changer in 2026 isn't a device at all—it's a person. Specifically, a news-focused creator on TikTok or YouTube. We know it sounds counterintuitive, but the data backs it up: for the first time, social and video platforms have overtaken television and news websites as the top news source (Reuters Institute Digital News Report). And the creators who live there are arguably the most engaging 'devices' you can add to your daily news diet.

The Old Faithfuls Are Fading

Let's start with the hardware that used to rule the living room. The smart TV, the radio, even the dedicated news app on your phone—they're all losing ground. In the UK, television news use has fallen 12 percentage points since 2021 (Reuters Institute Digital News Report). Globally, in 45 of 48 markets surveyed, more people watch online news video than watch broadcast TV news (Reuters Institute Digital News Report). That's not a blip; that's a mass migration. The TV isn't dead, but it's no longer the primary news screen for most people. And for younger audiences, it's practically a museum piece: among 18-24s who didn't read a newspaper last week, 56% have never read one regularly, and 21% have never watched TV news regularly (Reuters Institute Digital News Report).

The Phone: Still the Workhorse, But Not the Answer

Your smartphone is probably where you'll read this article. It's the most versatile news device we own—it's a camera, a radio, a newspaper, and a TV all in one. But here's the catch: the phone as a news device is only as good as the apps you fill it with. And those apps are increasingly pushing you toward platforms, not publishers. Facebook remains the biggest platform for news globally at 43%, followed by YouTube (34%), Instagram (26%), and TikTok (20%) (Reuters Institute Digital News Report). On a phone, the news comes to you in a feed, not through a newspaper's homepage. That shift has a cost: trust. Only 25% of Americans trust most news, and trust in news on social media is even lower (Reuters Institute Digital News Report). So while the phone is the hardware, the software—specifically, who you follow—determines your experience.

The New Contender: AI Chatbots

Now, the shiny new thing: AI chatbots. In 2026, 10% of respondents used AI chatbots for news weekly, up from 7% in 2025 (Reuters Institute Digital News Report). That's still small, but it's growing fast. The appeal is obvious: you ask a question, get a summary, and can follow up. Among users, 42% love the ability to ask follow-up questions, and another 42% click through to the original sources (Reuters Institute Digital News Report). But here's the problem: trust. Globally, trust in AI chatbot answers for news is just 20%, well below trust in news overall (37%) (Reuters Institute Digital News Report). And in the UK, it's a dismal 6% (Reuters Institute Digital News Report). That's a dealbreaker for us. We can't recommend a device that people don't trust to get the facts right.

Why We're Betting on Creators

So where does that leave us? We're putting our money on news-focused creators. These are individual journalists or commentators who build a direct relationship with their audience on platforms like YouTube or TikTok. They're not a gadget in the traditional sense, but they're the most effective 'device' for delivering news that people actually engage with. Consider this: 27% of respondents globally get some news from news-focused individual creators or influencers (Reuters Institute Digital News Report). And among the under-35s, that number jumps to 16% who use AI chatbots for news, but the creator trend is even more pronounced (Reuters Institute Digital News Report). Creators are filling the trust vacuum left by traditional media. They're not bound by the same corporate constraints, and they often have a more personal, authentic voice. That matters when only 37% of people trust news overall (Reuters Institute Digital News Report).

The Comparison: Three Ways to Get Your News

For most working practitioners we know, the phone is the device, but the feed is the filter. And the best feed is one curated by trusted creators, not algorithms alone. The Stanford Civic Online Reasoning curriculum teaches three questions: Who's behind the information? What's the evidence? What do other sources say? (Stanford Civic Online Reasoning). Creators who answer those questions transparently earn our clicks.

What I'd Actually Do

Here's my concrete recommendation: Ditch the dedicated news apps you never open. Keep your phone, but spend 15 minutes a week curating your follow list on YouTube and TikTok. Follow 5-10 news-focused creators who cite their sources and correct their mistakes. When a big story breaks, watch their 90-second explainer first, then cross-check with a reputable outlet. For daily briefings, set up a custom ChatGPT prompt that asks for a summary with links to original reporting. But don't trust it blindly—use it as a starting point, not the final word. And if you're over 50, don't feel you have to abandon TV entirely; just add a creator or two to your rotation. The future of news is hybrid, and the best gadget is the one that gets you the facts with the least spin. That's a creator, not a camera.

Sources

• Reuters Institute Digital News Report - https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2026
• Stanford Civic Online Reasoning - https://cor.stanford.edu/
• Pew Research Center TikTok News Study - https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/09/25/1-in-5-americans-now-regularly-get-news-on-tiktok-up-sharply-from-2020/