Research
Portfolio

"Journalists and other news content creators are negotiating with participatory platforms and entrepreneurial business models. This conceptual article defines and traces the rise of “newsfluencers”: platformatised creators who operate according to the economic and cultural logics of online influencers to produce news content for participatory audiences. Newsfluencers encompass self-employed journalists as well as Substack writers, journalistic YouTubers and TikTokers, and Twitch streamers. This article explicates newsfluencers across four intersecting dimensions: platforms, business models, labour, and cultures. In doing so, the article demonstrates how the news industry, influencer and fandom cultures, platforms, and the creator economy are interconnecting with and transforming each other."

"As digital platforms reshape how people discover and consume news, sustaining quality journalism increasingly depends on developing revenue models that audiences perceive as valuable. Yet evidence on willingness to pay for digital news in Bangladesh remains limited. This study examines willingness to pay (WTP) among 1,773 Bangladeshi adults surveyed between November 2024 and April 2025. Using convenience sampling, the study combines descriptive analysis, logistic regression, multivariable regression, and exploratory factor analysis to examine news consumption, WTP intention, stated payment amounts, and preferred subscription features. The sample was predominantly composed of young adults aged 19 to 29 years. Only 15.8% of respondents expressed positive future WTP intention; 46.3% were unlikely or very unlikely to pay, while 38.0% were neutral. Positive WTP intention was associated with perceived protection from misinformation, trusted and high-quality content, exclusive and investigative/interpretative journalism, customization, lower fees, discounts, and monthly payment arrangements. Stated WTP amounts also varied according to demographic and service attributes. Exploratory factor analysis identified four correlated dimensions of subscription value: content quality, content delivery methods, exclusiveness of services, and payment methods. Building on these findings, the study proposes an audience-informed, localized, and flexible subscription proposition for Bangladesh. The proposed model should be understood as a basis for market testing rather than as evidence of financial viability or a validated market price. The study contributes audience-side evidence from a Global South media market and demonstrates the importance of trust, differentiated value, convenient access, and payment flexibility in considering paid digital news."